Is the Traditions Smackdown 250 grain bullet the same bullet as the Hornady 250 grain SST? How about the T/C Shockwave 250 grain bullet? They all look very similar and the Smackdown packaging mentions Hornady. Thanks.

Pretty sure the Shockwave was made by Hornady and is similar if not identical, except for tip color, to the SST. No clue about the Traditions Smackdown.

Same bullet
https://www.traditionsfirearms.com/p...0-grain-qty-15

The local Wally World had the Shockwave and Smackdown 250 grain 15 packs on clearance for $5 each. I got a few, wish I had bought more. Thanks.

t/c hornady & traditions are all made by hornady just like knight bullets are made by barnes but different colar sabots & tips & thor full bore bullets are also by barnes but barnes don't sell full size bullets. problem with hornady bullets i don't get a good blood trail but barnes i get one that stevie wonder could follow.

Reading the reviews folks have made on the SST several have mentioned that it does not expand unless it hits a rib or shoulder or they jack up the velocity. It is applauded for it's accuracy but not for it's expansion. Thanks for the info.

I don't know what reviews you looked at but that couldn't be further from the truth. If anything, I and the old man both found the SST to open up a little too easily on close range shots. It's why he switched off from them not only in his ML's but also from many CF cartridges. They flew great and in general worked well but on a few close in heavy shoulder hits they blew up.

SSTs changed tip style and material once or twice. Some of those bad expansion reviews are from the older "sharp" and harder tips used. The first was called a PTX. The jackets were thick and the alloy was really hard but the tip was more rounded.

Now, .452s SSTs use the same tip material and shape as the FTXs. T/C eventually switched too but occasionally the older style tipped Shockwaves still pop up.

The ones I just bought have flexible yellow tips, the sabots are yellow too. I will use them and see how they do. I seem to buy more ammo then I shoot. I don't remember where I read the reviews, maybe on the Midwayusa site.