Having spend 6 hours last night flying ~800 LY and using 700k credits for testing in search of the best stuff, I settled on something simple but yet more effective than potential fancier, less pragmatic alternatives.
2 x Gimballed Pulse Lasers - y'know, they're 35k each
2 x Gimballed Cannons - the ones that are 42k each
2x Point Defense
Assuming you have decent infrastructure modules then this requires no power management beyond 2 pips to weapons and some mild restraint, keeps applied DPS on target at all times, allows for more accuracy when firing to avoid friendly fire incidents, is effective from distance and up close, allows measured dispensal of damage on target when needed, and lets one quite easily focus all DPS output on specific subsystems when required.
Cannons provide huge alpha damage and have substantial magazines; shots are fired from so close that you never miss. Pulse lasers let you either apply DPS nonstop or in a more measured way while still keeping DOT inline. Tried with 250k+ Cannons, Beams, Frags, M-Cannons, Burst lasers, Railguns. Also, I prefer a PDS system due to it being automatic, when you hear the whoop whoop you hear a bam, no more missiles, and with no human intervention required
All were impractical in some situations if not many; then there's the added expense, the haywire splatter everywhere, etc etc... 2x Cannons and 2x Pulses work in any situation. Multicannons are useful but risky, and you tend to be more wanton with the ammunition since there's so much of it.
Yeah. Cannons and Pulses - can't wait till I get to play with the big boy versions
