Nitros have been my shell of choice for several years now. I shoot 3" straight #5s out of a browning classic gold auto loader with a .660 choke . I seldom shoot birds over 30 yards, but in the few cases I have I have not had any walk away! I have probably killed 50 birds in multiple states with these loads and am very pleased. I have not had as much problem with the buffering coming out recently. Back when i did I would take a birthday cake candle and drip a small drop of wax on top of the shell...problem solved!
I have seen a lot of trash talk on the Nitros, but I found out a long time ago that the best approach is shoot your gun and see what works in it. They will all preform differently with variations. So I wouldn't slam LBs, winchester federals or any load, I would say shoot them and see. For instance the winchesters blow up the pattern in my gun, but the Nitros do very well. Now I do not as a rule try to stretch my Nitros, I know what I'm shooting. I see most of the criticism is for beyond 30 yards....it's not often I shoot over 30 yards, so they work well for me. Like I said though when I have pushed them farther I have never had a problem. The take away is there are no magic bullets, do your homework and shoot your gun with multiple loads.