To clarify, what I meant was, all else being equal, a lighter gun will be more pleasant to hunt with, but will kick harder. A heavier gun will get heavy after some time in the field, but will be more pleasant to shoot.
For example, the Browning BPS and the Ithaca Ultralight 37 are very similar guns, but the Browning weighs well over 7 lbs., but the Ithaca well under 6. In that case, the Browning is a lot less expensive, but personally I wouldn't be too interested in a 20 that weighs as much as a 12 Gauge Mossberg 500 does, for hunting on foot. For dove shooting, it would be nice.