Nerfing the rifles in melee is definitively bad. I can say as an experienced skirmisher it was hard enough to use them against bayonets/swords (many skirms pick up bayonets instead as soon as possible) from before, and this will be the total destruction of it. Besides, getting a large riflebuttstock smashed in the face would in fact kill a person :/
Edit: While on the topic of rifles, the up attack of a rifle is just completely broken and useless. It's slow, deals hardly any damage, the animation is broken and the hitbox is just weird.