Good to know lone wanderer perk works with dogmeat!
Yeah, I just ran and got the gun last night; I was expecting much more. I suppose if it's one of the first guns you get in the game, you'd have an edge, but currently at level 14 (and 4pts in strength), it's fairly comparable, damage wise, to my other weapons. But its disproportionately heavy in weight, so I'll probably ditch it.
I've been making the dog carry it!