That would be fine if it didn't cost 5,000 credit per battle. I only get a 1400cr reward at
the end

They group pretty tight with higher level guns. Spread is similiar to other guns with
similar gunners.

Thats the point. Your suppose to be able scatter them around the general area a sub is in,
with the hope being that at least one hits close

Some people just have too much money on their hands :P

So what are the chances of them cutting down the price to something reasonable?

I'm only firing off 4-5 gradual fire shots per battle, and still losing credit like crazy.

They aren't really even that good against subs, they scatter horribly.

Nah, this is to keep people from using regular HH as their primary armament and not just
ASW. Although you see the effectiveness of that deterrent in just about every blitz.