Dang, I picked up a engine miss :(

Push rods just don't bend for no reason, I would hope that isn't it.

There is too much it could be. If the motor smooths out with more throttle opening I would look more at the carb idle circuits getting plugged. Is it a Holley/Demon carb, those metering block gaskets can be a pain in the butt to seal right.

Any chance you have a known good carb you could swap on?