Well I also shoot sporting clays and bird hunt so I'm in the same boat as you. Autos are nice, but there are more moving parts so theres more of a chance for a mis-fire or a jam. I actually have an 1100 auto (ported, briley choke, etc...) and a Browning Lightning Sporting Clays O/U. I really like both of them so if I was you, just pick out a few different modelsand try them out. I was going to buy the BenelliSuper Sport instead of the Browning, but after doing research on them I found they have been having trouble with them cycling. Weight wise my 1100 and Browning aren't different enough to complain about. I would also recommend 30" barrels if you are a bigger guy, mine are only 28" and I wish they were longer.