I think you'll find that the 400 mesh works much better. I had barely acceptable results with the mesh that came with my DUD.
One thing that I found that really helps is to fold the edge of the mesh. Before you roll your wick, fold about 1/8" under so when your wick is rolled, you have a nice smooth edge with no stragglers. Essentially making a hem on the edge.
I also wind the coil around a rod, but the key is to make sure that your wick is pretty round and the same diameter as the rod/drill bit. I install the coil first and make sure the rod slides out easily and that the coil is straight. Fire the coil a couple times before you put the wick in. The wick should easily slide into the mounted coil, but not be too loose. Check the ohms before you put the wick in, then after. If it's the same, you should not have any shorts.
With the wick in, fire it and see if there are any hot spots, nudge as necessary to eliminate, fill and vape!