I agree. For me, I usually build 4 rifleman squad, three double-equipped with BAR, and one BAR+zook for some diversity and handiness. Managing 4 rifleman is hard, but it is rewarding. The only thing to watch out is MG, as a largely soft force composition can be suppressed easily, but as long as the timing of the squads are different, it is still possible to flank.
I also find that double equipping zooks are more deady because you can't tell a squad has one or two zooks until you were shot at, which is sometimes useful for that last shot to kill Panzers.
REs are perfect for double equipping because they lack any sort of firepower anyways. I don't normally equip zooks on rifleman unless i am really low on fuel and cannot get the captain out (which I do in the earliest possible instance, also to vet him up considerably)
Zooks deal deflection damage, so even if they bounce they inflict damage. For this reason all axis armor has to be, or be accompanied by, extensive anti-infantry firepower. They can actually be a deterrent to a panther pushing because a panther, lacking anti-infantry capabilities, can't effectively beat an RE squad with zooks without support.
This doesn't work against KTs, which are exceptional against infantry.