Lynn, I have a little more time now to answer your questions.
I dislike having to trim meplats to get uniform lengths from base to tip, my current lot of bullets vary up to .060 from base to tip.
I like the pointing dies avalable they are very easy to use, the points are very uniform under magnification.
I like the improvement in vertical at 1000 yards from about 8 inches to
2.3 inch best group by changing to meplat trimmed and pointed bullets using the Whidden system.
I know nothing about adding tips.
From square one I would trim and point, some bullets may only need pointing.
Tommy Leroy Johnson