Spoilers are irresistible.
The hunters definitely don't last long against a flame thrower, but you don't get too many charges with that weapon.
Yeah, I used a rifle on Bach for about 3/4 of the fight, then got annoyed at how long it was taking and how much blood I was having to use for auspex since my ranged skill is only 6. I finally ran up the stairs, caught him on the landing, and used the katana on him. He blinded me, but I could still hit him since I had him sort of caught in a corner. That's a very handy technique against the Kuei-jin, too, btw. If they can't get out of a corner, they're screwed.
Oh, and if you feed on 3 or 4 rats, it gives you 1 point in your little blood-bladder that you get from Pisha. Never hurts to have at least a couple points there.