Top Dead Center

I feel like I need to run this past someone else to make sure I am thinking about this right. 545 rotating assembly w/ Lunati crank. It had a FMS damper on it and has been running, but plugs don't look real good. The damper was rusty and hard to read the timing marks. I bought an IW damper and installed it today. Trying to find TDC, I installed a piston stop in the #1 cylinder and rotated it until it touched (19 degrees). I then rotated it the other direction until it touched (337 degrees). That's 19 degrees one way and 23 degrees the other. I replaced the pointer (old factory one) with a new one (stamped steel from Keith Fulp). It read the same as before.

It appears that I am 2 degrees off. I don't want to just randomly go and change the pointer position without knowing it is the right thing to do. How common is this?

Using a piston is the correct way to find tdc. You are correct if you are getting 19 degrees one way and 23 the other the pointer is 2 degrees off. They should read the same both ways.