Questions About Gunning in Lockdown

Hi everyone!
I am a player who is transitioning from t2 to t3 Lockdown using the gunner style of play. As you all know, guns are extremely hard to use in Lockdown effectively, so I'm getting some preparation before jumping right in. And so, I have a few general questions:
1) How many shots does it normally take for an Umbra Driver to kill a standard clone (Penta/Skolver/Toothpick)? Elemental alchemer?
2) About how many pokes does it take to kill me wearing full Shadowsun and Penta-Heart Pendants?
3) Are guns better to use auto-aim or should I go without?
4) Is ASI or damage increase more favorable in t3?
5) Provide any extra tips you would think would improve my effectiveness.
And I guess that's it! Thanks for your help! :)
~meis

1. With full damage it is about 5-6 shots. Elemental status alchemers would be around 6-7, and the nova the same as the umbra.
2. If you wear no pendants with shadowsun you will die on the second poke. 1 pendant, you die on the third, and 2 pendants, you will die on the fourth. I use justifier with two damage trinkets myself so I can have max ASI, VH Damage, and still die on the third poke, but you still have less health overall.
3. Most gunners suggest no auto-aim, and I would say the same myself.
4. Depends how you play honestly, damage is probably the most important, but ASI is nice.
5. If you are slightly laggy like I am, practice shooting ahead of where people appear to be. You will hit more often.

With gunning you can have style and still succeed. You'll figure out your own.
I use a sentenza, status gun, and random third weapon usually (Triglav is my fav.. Polaris, Fov, Biohazard)
If I'm against just 1 player who dominates due to their distance from the server, I usually run polaris - spray and pray. Cant tell ya how many times Mite, Thrill, or Timb just go through a wave of gunfire (with bullets passing through them) , swing and air and kill me :/ very frustrating.
I rotate between shadowsun two heart trinkets and a blade, to the armor Bacon wears above depending on the enemy loadout.
5. Get ready to die a lot, lol.

Thanks guys/girls for your input, it was really appreciated (and yes Blue, I am already experienced in dying many times :P)! Anyone else can feel free to add. Currently I'm gonna go Shadowsun with Pentas.
~meis

I go Shadowsun with one heart trinket and one Elite Trueshot myself to get Max Damage but I know very skilled gunners who run with two heart trinkets. I guess it's mostly preference.
Auto-aim is helpful when using some guns like Callahan but other than that, there's not much of a difference.
ASI and Damage are both helpful, but I'd go for Damage first. But when you're wearing full Shadowsun, you already get VH Damage so...
Remember to shoot where your target is going. How much ahead you shoot depends on the gun. For example, with Alchemers you should shoot fairly ahead, Valiance not as much, and Callahan barely in front. But then again, it also depends on your latency and stuff like that. You'll have to learn where to shoot just practicing a lot.
Anyways, have fun gunning out there! And hopefully we'll see each other on the field. ^^

I would say keep the autoaim off and turn it on when you're in close combat.
It's hard to hit people when you first start out due to lag and slow bullet speed. You just have to absorb other people's play styles and general movements until you can reliably predict where they're going to be and put a bullet there.
That takes time to learn. Maybe trying to place your shots rather than spamming at the enemy would help you learn faster, but maybe not.
A few things to try out: juggling Alchemers (fire switch repeat). I find that it reduces my accuracy, but have encountered players who were quite adept at it.
Try cutting in against swords( swords boosts at you from the east, you boost west). It works surprisingly often, and gives you an easy shot at his/her back.
Follow around a guardian. If an enemy goes after you, lead him into the guardian. If an enemy attacks the guardian, help fend him off. I do this sometimes in GvG.

Yes, I love the cutting in on swords technique. Surprisingly, it works extremely well. I usually mix it in with a lot of other moves so I'm not very predictable. Thanks for all you guys' replies!
~meis
1. I haven't used Umbra in a while, but I think it's something like 4-5 depending on health tokens, I might be off. Nova is the same, status is 5-6, but magma will also damage and the other two immobilize. This is with +6 damage, of course.
2. IIRC, with one penta 3 non-3rd hit pokes leave you with 1/2 a pip of health left. Just run one penta and a trueshot, better to do damage than be too bulky because the quicker you take your opponent out, the safer.
3. Depends on play style. If you keep your distance, don't. It'll throw off your shots.
4. Damage. ASI is nice, but not nearly as helpful.
5. Practice, mostly.