Mate I totally see where you're coming from. E.G, on host which I've gotten maybe 5 times in my whole time playing H2, I drop guys with BR's in 4 or 5 shots every time. But when it's an American host, I normally have to empty an entire clip. Same thing goes for running away from getting shot. I'll run around a corner, and be away from fire, but then I die and get thrown back to being back around that corner (if you understand what I'm saying). It's pretty much impossible to kill anyone with a BR unless you're relatively close to them (e.g same range as a plasma rifle). And don't even get me started about the sword. You will lunge, but go straight through them, and they just turn around and melee you in the back and then start yelling "OMG WHAT A SWORD NOOB".
ANd I get the British thing as well, don't know where that comes from. I rarely, if ever go into matchmaking by myself anymore, as I just know I'm going to be in yellow the whole time. I hope H3 has some kind of filter to make players in your location a priority. I'd rather play against guys 20 levels above me than someone on the other side of the world, because if I get beat by them I know it's because they are better than me, not because their internet speed is.