You are one of the very few voices in the game which can be taken seriously. Rest is just crybaby-sniper-haters/lovers just like me, overreacting all the time, arguing with almost 0 logic.
Personally i think the 1k even got buffed with this patch. 1k now got superior dmg (takes 2bodyshots or 1HS vs 500 who needs 4bodyshots or 2hs to take down 1k snipers), C4, more hp, faster fire/reaload times.
I almost never played 1k, but new fire/reload rate just feels like the old 500 - way too fast. Nothing else got changed beside the fact your feeling even saver now camping the shit out of enemy infs, because if your noobish enough to get HS by a 500 (the only dircet counter to 1k) you can just hide n run back now.
I still dont get how a 500 should not be able to HS a 1k sniper, just doesnt make any sense and is just protecting noobish camper snipers even more - if sniping 1k's is too easy (which is not, unless your running straight through main battlefield in a straight fukn line and wonder why u get hit, which 90% of antisnipercrybabies do all the time) then change it to only sid/rave and mobi not getting instakilled - but let 500snipers still be able to HS 1ksnipers.
Its still my opinion that ppl are just too dumb n lazy to play&adapt vs snipers, not snipers being op. There are only like 6 players in the whole fukn game i have troubles with playing against their snipers (Bananas,minji,canuuck,gaysha,dienoob,thedestroyer) and thats because they are all super-skilled, not sniper being op. Vs anyone else i have absolute 0 problems if i just use some brains&teamplay and adapt to their playstyle (and i play inf-only most of the time, so deal with alot snipers). Everytime i read about sniperwhine i feel like snipers are shooting laser-guided, heat-seaking mini-missiles hitting every single shot with ease - its still not that easy to HS properly even in close combat, it just is vs dumb players not being able to take u down or move properly. If a sniper misses his first 2 shots against me in close-mid range battles hes just dead or its my own fukn fault and i deserve to die - this is a fukn shooter, not some pollypocketwonderland.
You also said "There's plenty of other classes to use for infantry fights". I totally disagree with that. For me its just sniper or hottie/techie+sidearms because thats the only viable thing atm to counter all those duo/trio hottie gangs healing themselfs and killing everything in their way with sidearms, even being able to take down your buildings - but thats just fine and super balanced for several patches now because most of sniperwhiners use this kind of playstyle (which is ofc not balanced at all as u stated aswell).
Sry for my engrish but i am just a german wurst