I have taper dies from Hornady and load .38 Special and .357 mag. S&W Model 10 and .357 Colt Trooper and have no trouble at all with taper crimp my loads. Lead Lee hand cast 158 swc, Speer 148 wc and Hornady XTP . They work great. I've loaded a variety powders from plinkers, to target, to full mag. loads with out any problem. As you gain experience, you will find out tricks to case flare, etc. It's best to start out with one size bullet to develop the proper case flare, standard bullet seating and a middle of the road powder load. If possible, stick with one mfg. cases and and don't get frustrated if you damage a few cases along the way. Be sure to check cylinder sizing or get a go, no go gauge too.