the major problem with the heavy is that he's close range AND slow. the only way he could ever be effective is if the enemy comes to him, which means he's limited to confined spaces like hallways. he relies entirely on positioning, with little mechanical skill needed. with a longer range weapon, the heavy could at least hold his own in open areas or mid-long range fights. something like what i think this weapon would likely turn out to be would allow the heavy to safely close the distance between himself and his enemies, and unleash his real damage dealer on them, the minigun. in other words, he can pepper enemies with this gun over long distances while advancing forwards, rather than being a sitting duck. in close range, the tight spread would force the heavy to have really good aim to use it efficiently, and most heavy players will either switch to the minigun or develop really good aiming skills.