Is the Repeater even viable without a fire rate buff?

I use the AKM as a benchmark for TTK (body shots only) on Medium, which is 1.2 seconds. Many Medium weapons, like the Cerberus, Pike, FCAR, and FAMAS, also have around a 1.2-second TTK against other Mediums—even the revolver sits at 1.29. Meanwhile, the Repeater’s TTK on Medium is 1.56. I know TTK isn’t everything, but it’s still important. Am I crazy for thinking this weapon isn’t competitive unless it gets a rate-of-fire buff or something? I was expecting this thing to shred, but the time between shots is forever.