I use maxims for exactly that. Depending on the map, they work alright. They make up for the weaker suppression and field of fire by being much harder to decrew and much lower risk, as well as the very quick turning. They can usually suppress infantry reasonably fast, and they aren't up against molotovs and oorah, nor are they 4-man squads against better Soviet snipers. In a narrow lane, they're really just as good as an MG-42 on balance. In a building they're better than one.
It's not that I haven't tried exactly what you describe. But my experiences have been pretty negative. Basically it comes down to the simple fact that if your opponent knows what he's doing he'll outflank and decrew maxims so hard that they never even get to fire. The higher DPS is little help when what I actually want it to do is pin down enemies.
In my opinion both HMGs should pin equally fast and balance should be looked for by tuning other variables.