Since hunters’ weapons can be removed, it would be cool if they could also be picked up and used as “non-inventory weapons”, which can’t be reloaded, and once you run out of ammo, you drop them on the ground again.
Maybe make the skill “carry capacity” level 1 a requirement for being able to pick them up, and level 2 to be able to sprint while carrying one.
There already is a skill for getting a chance of 25% (?) in getting damaged components. Maybe we just need another definition for that 
(I imagine running around with a tanks railgun 
)
Ok, for hunters equipement it would be cool and make sense as it is already possible to get tickpods with the right skill.
Maybe additionally there could be craftable strenght for some clothes (foa exosuite, fnix exosuite) which gives you the ability to pick up and carry a hunters weapons (apoc flamethrower included)?
I was thinking you would be able to pick it up before the hunter that dropped it is necessarily even dead. The weapon would be “equipped” the same way a bike is (i.e. it never enters your inventory and doesn’t show up as an item when you scavenge the dead hunter), and if you want to use another weapon or equipped item (e.g. a health pack) when the weapon is being carried, you drop the weapon, and can pick it up again afterwards, as long as it still has ammo in it. A weapon with no ammo in it cannot be equipped.
But, sure, the “Mechanic” skill should maybe be involved in whether the hunter drops a functional weapon or not. The character that picks up the weapon isn’t necessarily the same one that shot it off.
Not sure for how long the dropped weapons should be possible to pick up, but I’m thinking maybe a few minutes?
I like this idea.
For me the most logical way would be to kill the hunter without shooting the weapon off. It could have a drop rate of 10% whan the weapon has 100% hp in the moment when the hunter gets destroyed. When you have the mechanic skills you can damage the weapon to 75 or 50% and still have a chance to get a drop.
And as you described and like in many other games the pick up weapons have a sertain amount of ammo, like 25 -50 shot. If you carry it and switch to another weapon you instantly drop it to the ground with the remaining ammo inside.