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OK, I put my spare time where my mouth was and did a Gunlinger test.
I joined a level 4 game. There are only two characters in the game, so we are a bit more on the powerful side - 25 point build and three traits.
First observation is that the Gunslinger seems a bit short of resources.
F'rex, seems like the Gunslinger is a total no go without rapid reload - Attacking once every other round really isn't going to work.
There's also a lack of Quick Draw for a character called 'gunslinger'.
I also also need to get started on the shot feat chains - Precise shot, especially (Does Manyshot work with a gun?)
I went Human since I need so many feats and GS only gets 2 skills / level.
For level 1, going with Quick Draw and Rapid Reload.
No Perception as a Gunslinger class skill made me cry a little so I went for Eyes and Ears of the City (Perception as class skill).
With 11 gp / shot, I was worried about the cost per battle, so I went for Rich Parents.
(With my extra slot, I went for Reactionary / +2 Initiative - can't afford Improved Init. :P )
With my level 3 feat and level 4 bonus feat I scooped up Point Blank Shot / Precise shot - really need just about anything to get damage, and -4 to shoot someone in melee with the party Ranger seems uncool (arguably this isn't super necessary with the whole touch attack thang, but it seems like a no-brainer).
The actual play has been pretty short so far - we took on a CR4ish hydra, me and a companion-focused Ranger.
(The Ranger seemed pretty goofy at first, hitting for 1D4+1 and riding a camel. But the camel's touch attack for 1D4 rds of sickness and pretty nasty bite combined with Mounted combat led to them dishing out 1D4+1 + 1D4+6 most rounds, with the Hydra being -2 to all checks and having one attack negated every round).
So... actual play.
The Good:
The Hydra had a 9 touch AC and I was basically +10 to hit with Point Blank Shot. So.. not missing on a 2 was nice.
Training in Acrobatics + Dex primary was fun, and the DM was pretty generous with the Daring Act granting. (This is situational, though, obviously. Still, it was fun to try for).
High initiative was nice.
The Bad:
I didn't have much to do other than shoot stuff. OK, maybe this is a no-brainer but I literally couldn't think of anything to do with my Grit during the fight. No ranged shots to take cover from, we were too close for Deadeye, and it would seem stupid to pistol whip a Hydra.
I guess if my gun ever jammed I could've cleared it, but it didn't...
Completely outclassed by the Ranger and her camel, especially considering the Ranger's really lame main weapon (1D4). I think they did 2x-3x the damage I did, even though I was theoretically the primary damage dealer and she had more skills.
The best case scenario is taking one shot and not getting to move. Sometimes couldn't even do that (the feat-boosed move action reload can suck). Bummer with the swashbuckling flavor text.
The Ugly:
Brave and Bold trades half a bonus feat for a fort save. This isn't awful but its weird to count a save boost as a class feature.
Gunslinger Initiative - Only +2 to AC for a Gunslinger and you have to wait level 3? How about Wis mod, like the Inquisitor at least?
Also its a bummer that part of this feature requires quick draw instead of granting it. Also also I don't understand the benefits of drawing pistols before my initiative instead of the beginning of it. What does this do? No AOO for pistols, unless I missed something.
Grit was really low... but I didn't use it anyway, so it didn't matter as much...
I had some hopes for an x4 crit, but they didn't come up. Then again, the gun didn't jam. :P
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Comclusions -
I was (and am) very excited about this class, but so far the implementation left me very cold. I didn't seem to serve any actual function in the party (such as it was) and I was completely outclassed - none of my class features came into play, my damage was middling at best (especially bad since I was fighter variant) and my skills were pretty miserable.