Bubbles232,
I have not played a widow or tried a soldier-->bane path character, so I cannot comment on the melee side.
The huntsman was an enjoyable eye-opener for me in the original game. I had been planning to try a soldier-->crab build at first, and just could not deal with the graphics involved with the crab backpack after the mandatory respec at 24. The powers of the crab side post-24 were not that different from the huntsman pre-24, but I feel I went from a gun-toting bad*** to something I could not stand the sight of.
So, I started over and stayed a huntsman. I ended up finding and using Aisynia's guide (well out of date but it has a good description of powers and usage
https://forums.homecomingservers.com/index.php/topic,1311.0.html and special props for explaining why the huntsman has style points in spades.)
Redlynne has a lot of good and up to date info in https://forums.homecomingservers.com/index.php/topic,1378.0.html including builds.
For me, the huntsman always seems to have a tool for every situation. The web/venom/frag grenades and heavy burst whittle down clusters of mobs, and you have enough single target damage output to deal with the leftovers. The toggles in your secondary and the leadership pools will help you out, and if you group will help the whole team. Others have described the huntsman as a force multiplier, and that really is the case. I'm looking forward to getting a couple of pets in the late 30's.
You are forced to play smart as you don't have the defenses to tank, but you do not have any glaring weaknesses, either. However, that is a lot of the fun. It is nice to force yourself out of the box a bit.
I would recommend taking a few gadgets from the P2W merchant at start-up. A couple of the prestige enhancements with extra damage and recharge reduction can make your first two attacks a lot more viable. The throwing knives fit the style of a soldier, too. Add in ninja run and you have a low level travel power. Lastly, try to get some knockback/knockdown protection early on even if you need to spend a few merit points, and you will be in business.