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Well, no, but yes.
What I mean is you don't have a gauntlet and a gauntlet bow. You have a gauntlet bow, and it says:
A gauntlet bow can be used to make melee attacks like a standard gauntlet, and it retains any valid runes when used as such. You can't reload a gauntlet bow with the hand wielding it.
So, it is two weapons in one, and they share any runes that apply.
And, the gauntlet bow is a free-hand weapon.
Basically you can use your hand as though it didn't have the gauntlet bow on it. The restriction being you can't fire (or punch) with the gauntlet bow while doing something else with it.
There is nothing that specifically addresses the modes for punching and firing. However this isn't a combination weapon. If you look up the rules for combination weapons, they specifically mention it's an interact action to change between modes. Since this isn't listed as a combination weapon, I assume there is no requirement to change modes. Which makes sense. This is a small crossbow mounted to the back of your gauntlet, you can still use your freehand to do things. So there's no reason why the crossbow should stop you from punching.
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I can see the counter argument for changing between firing and punching being that you need to take an extra action to get the balance ready.
That would be the extra Interact action cost for the Combination weapon trait mentioned earlier. The Gauntlet Bow doesn't have the Combination trait. So it does not need an extra action to 'switch modes' no matter how you describe it.
That is one of the two differences between a Dagger Pistol and a Pistol with an Attached Bayonet. The Dagger Pistol is a Combination weapon and requires an extra action to switch between melee and ranged modes. The Pistol with a Bayonet is not a Combination weapon and does not require the extra action.
A particular player or GM may argue that this Gauntlet Bow has a printing error and either needs the Combination trait or should not share runes between the melee punching damage and the Crossbow damage. But at that point, the person is arguing for houserules. The rules themselves are rather clear and consistent - even if someone thinks they are unexpected.
Both are modest weapons that use different attack stats. So as cool as this weapon is, they kinda need to share runes to be worthwhile. They aren't much different than a non-finesse thrown weapon, and their lesser damage validates being free-hand. (Parry seems a bit strong for a free-hand, but it is martial and feels comparable to a tekko-kagi.)
Yeah, honestly if the gauntlet bow required an interact action to switch between modes or wasn't a freehand weapon I don't think it'd ever be worth using.
I mean, it's a 1d4 weapon. It is at best a backup weapon, which is clearly how you're planning to use it, which is great in that capacity.
But it's only ever a backup weapon. If you had to spend an action to wield it or switch between modes it wouldn't even be worth it as a back up weapon.
I am absolutely using it as a backup weapon. My general plan for this exemplar is to be a group buffer (victor's wreath and horn of plenty) with the ability to potentially trigger weaknesses through the gauntlet bow and have a bit extra defence via the gauntlet buckler I picked up on the other hand
I don't mean to rain on your idea, but while victor's wreath and horn of plenty aren't bad abilities, they're hardly enough IMO to be the focus of a build IMO.
You're still primarily a martial character, with a panoply of utility via various ikons.