Okay, folks, gather ’round. Been meaning to talk about my time messing with the Holger 26. Heard some chatter, thought I’d give it a proper go myself.
Getting Started with the Holger
So, I grabbed the Holger 26. First thing, you notice it’s an LMG, right? Feels like one. Not super heavy, but definitely got some heft compared to the usual run-and-gun stuff I sometimes favor. I wasn’t expecting to be sprinting around like crazy with this thing from the get-go.
I jumped into the gunsmith area. Didn’t want to get too fancy right away. Slapped on a basic red dot sight because iron sights and my eyes don’t always agree, you know? Then I thought about recoil. It’s an LMG, probably kicks a bit. So, I put on a grip, one of those vertical ones, hoping it would steady things up. Didn’t touch the barrel or ammo yet, just wanted a baseline feel.
First Tries and Fumbles
Jumped into a few matches. And yeah, it felt… okay. Not amazing, not terrible. The recoil was there, but the grip seemed to help a little bit. Manageable, I’d say. The damage felt pretty solid, though. Dropped guys reasonably quick when my aim was on point.
What I noticed right away:
- Moving felt a bit sluggish. Aiming down sights wasn’t instant, that’s for sure.
- Reloading took its sweet time. Got caught out a couple of times mid-reload. Classic LMG problem.
- It chewed through ammo, but the magazine size was decent enough for a couple of engagements.
I found myself trying to play slower, holding down lanes more. Rushing just wasn’t working well with the initial setup and how the gun handled. It definitely punished sloppy movement and getting caught off guard.
Making Adjustments
After those first few games, I went back to the drawing board. That sluggish feeling was the main thing bothering me. I decided to sacrifice a bit of that stability I added earlier.
Swapped the heavy grip for something lighter that helped with aim-down-sights speed. Then I looked at the stock. Put on one that also boosted mobility and ADS time. Figured I could handle a bit more kick if I could just react faster. Kept the red dot, still needed that.
Finding a Better Rhythm
Took the tweaked version out for another spin. Much better. Yeah, the recoil was a bit jumpier, especially holding down the trigger, but snapping onto targets felt way more responsive. It felt less like I was fighting the gun’s weight.
Started playing a bit more aggressively, not full-on rushing, but pushing objectives more confidently. It seemed to work better in that mid-range sweet spot. Long range required more careful tap-firing because of the increased bounce, but up close and personal, it could still hold its own if I got the drop on someone.
The key, for me, was finding that balance between speed and control. Making it faster helped me get into fights, and then I just had to learn to manage the slightly wilder recoil through bursting my shots more often.
So, My Thoughts?
Overall? The Holger 26 is pretty decent once you tune it to your liking. It’s not gonna be the fastest gun out there, no matter what you do, it’s still an LMG at heart. But it hits hard, has a good mag size, and you can make it feel less like a boat anchor with the right attachments.
Good stuff I found:
- Solid damage output.
- Good magazine capacity for sustained fire.
- Can be made reasonably mobile for its class.
Stuff I didn’t love:
- Base handling is slow (needs attachments).
- Reload speed is still a pain point.
- Recoil needs management, especially if built for speed.
Will I keep using it? Yeah, probably cycle it in when I feel like playing that support gunner, hold-down-a-lane kind of style. It’s reliable if you play to its strengths. If you’re expecting an SMG, look elsewhere. But if you want a solid LMG that you can tweak, give the Holger 26 a try. Just be prepared to spend some time in the gunsmith finding what works for you.
