I think there's only 2-3 needle rifles so that's about half the elites, being based off of how many don't quit and stay in the game which is 6. All Spartans start off with magnums so it sounds fair to me. If you're having trouble winning on that part you could stop playing with randoms because some suck and some don't, and the majority of skilled players in my opinion seem to gravitate around the anniversary playlists.