Dear Taco,
autohang mode is (should be) using the 'samplesize' key from \setuppublicationlist in the bbl data to measure the required width. If altering that doesn't work, we will need a test file. Well, RTFM... but still it's not the way it probably should be. This is to be found in my bbl-file: \setuppublicationlist[samplesize={NDVRT{\etalchar{+}}02},totalnumber=224] but it has no effect what so ever. If I copy: \setuppublicationlist[samplesize={NDVRT{\etalchar{+}}02}] to my tex-file, however, it works. More RTFM?
Here an entry from my bbl-file: \startpublication[k=N.D.Vieira2002,t=article, a={{N.~D.~Vieira},{}},y=2002,o={10.1016/S0925-8388(02)00359-6}, n=137,s=NDVRT{\etalchar{+}}02] \artauthor[]{Jr.}[J.]{}{N.~D.~Vieira} \artauthor[]{I.~M.}[I.~M.]{}{Ranieria} \artauthor[]{L.~V.~G.}[L.~V.~G.]{}{Tarelhoa} \artauthor[]{N.~U.}[N.~U.]{}{Wettera} \artauthor[]{S.~L.}[S.~L.]{}{Baldochia} \artauthor[]{L.}[L.]{}{Gomesa} \artauthor[]{P.~S.~F.}[P.~S.~F.]{de}{Matosa} \artauthor[]{W.}[W.]{de}{Rossia} \artauthor[]{G.~E.~C.}[G.~E.~C.]{}{Nogueiraa} \artauthor[]{L.~C.}[L.~C.]{}{Courrolb} \artauthor[]{E.~A.}[E.~A.]{}{Barbosab} \artauthor[]{E.~P.}[E.~P.]{}{Maldonadoc} \artauthor[]{S.~P.}[S.~P.]{}{Morato} \pubyear{2002} \arttitle{Laser development of rare-earth doped crystals} \journal{Journal of Alloys and Compounds} \volume{344} \issue{1-2} \pages{231-239} \month{Oct} \stoppublication Thanks Hubertus