Just a quick FYI: The crits you see for 2000+ damage really only happen with trueshot active. Trueshot only lasts 2 minutes, so the insane DPS you think rangers have all the time is only in a short burst. I would also like to point out that although we do get lucky sometimes and score a few big crits in a row, rangers are no where close to the "2k dmg each shot" that you claim to see.
In testing my Stonewood Compound Bow outdamaged my Ornate Greatsword by about 30% self buffed. However, I don't yet have the 3rd level of punishing blade to maximize my 2hs damage. Also it is a real pain most of the time to get a clear line of sight for archery and to constantly hit my ranged attack key (and no I don't want to spend money on a gamepad, EQ is bad enough without accessories) so I melee all the time unless I need a substantial DPS increase and know that I can keep a clear line of sight for the entire duration of my Trueshot discipline.
I'm sorry I wasted my time here, but I felt that some people were quite misinformed.