I've made a thread entirely for suppression in EC. Argue about it there. Talk about the heavy bolter's purpose in the game and such may continue here.
The only real complaint w/ Heavy Bolter I have is about the brace zoom. It's way too strong. I'd like to see it reduced. It would make more sense, because the Heavy Bolter shouldn't zoom as if it's a Stalker Bolter yet with iron sights. It's a suppression/support weapon and the forced high zoom level while bracing is terrible. The extra brace magnification detracts from its role.