With very limited experience, I think a self opening feature is nonessential for most shooting, but essential for other reasons. Seems to me like it's an action that's best operated 'sharply', admittedly not the easiest thing to do when trying to tiptoe for a few shots with someone else's best gun. If the maker signed off on the gun, to me the ideal thing would be to have snap cap practice time in private so that the routine becomes second nature rather than tweak the gun to try to feel like another.
