You can carry more Screamers than Nukes.. And they turn a single fighter into a serious threat for capital ships. Three mine hits will dish out the same amount of shield damage to a cap as a single snac shot would. I wasn't aware that the Screamer took a radius nerf though, it's been a while since I've played Freelancer for more than an hour at a time.
There is also a psychological factor to the Screamer mine in snub fights. If people know that they can't get insta'd by a nuke, they will come at you more willingly. If you combo that with guns you are skilled at using, that just gives you more opportunities to grain away their health until you win by persistent patience.
