I have far more success hitting the dead bar with a pull shot or even the euro-pin I just learned. I especially am finding it easy to hit the dead bar on the push side with the euro because the pulling motion on the cut back feels so natural (as opposed to pushing on the cut back).
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That's exactly what most rollover/snake shooters in the US also experience when learning the push side shot.. Squaring it off is very natural because it straightens out the hand/wrist/forearm structure and ends with natural tension, but not too much. Most rollover/snake shooters develop a pretty square push side shot and can often practice it to deadbar much more quickly. On the pull side, they tend to do either of two things:
1. just move it over ("pitch" it over) less and just do a relatively square shot at deadbar between the 3/4 to the long (nearest the shooter). or ...
2. Move it over actually past deadbar (deadsquare position facing the long hole) and consciously stroke it back to square off the ball (recoil).
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I find it easier to "scoop" the ball, as you say, when I'm pitching it with the same man. I'm using a very controlled open hand hit, which I've heard compared to a "slap shot" in hockey. Because the hit is so much quicker than if I used a closed hand shot, maybe there isn't enough time for the scooping - so I end up trying to "chip" it back the other direction.
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As you practice your Europin shot (or rollover/snake if you ever get into that) you should notice that as you laterally roll, or "pitch," your shot at takeoff...
> the more parallel the motion the ball rolls in relation to the rods,:
1. The time to the release or firing point is physically shorter, so it's faster.
2. The point that far forward when the 3bar figure's toe hits it creates tremendous topspin, & less power.
3. There is hardly any scoop and it turns into an accelerating "slap shot" with high topspin.
4. There is less tolerance for hitting the ball square into the hole and return/recoils are minimized.
> the more you roll the ball back towards you and under the rod:
1. The time to the release/firing point is at an angle and physically longer.
2. The closer the ball to being almost halfway back under the rod, the more a "scoop" is generated.
3. This slower stroke that keeps the 3bar figure's toe longer on the ball squares off the shot better.
4. More power can be generated with less topspin as the scoop transfers more momentum to the ball.
5. More control can also be generated with this type of release, allowing easier square shots.
6. This control can also be used to practice angled or sprayed shots, too, of course.
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I'll try putting more side spin on it, too. 
The problem I see with the pull kick is that you start so far from the goal, and it seems that short and mid will be guarded most of the time. I can beat people to long and even mid if they're starting close to me, but it seems like long is the go-to spot for this shot. I was thinking about using a "dead ball" shot and a dink in conjunction with the pull kick. I'm not even sure if the "dead ball" is worthwhile at all; I saw it on a bad youtube clip and figured it'd be good to fake the long pull kick and have the ball bounce back off of 32 to 33 for the 1 dot hole. Now that I think about it though, since your 3 bar is dead there's no room for cutting it back to square it. I should probably just forget about this shot. Haha.
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Incorporating a dink, banks, or any offspeed variation is de rigeur with all pushkicks and pullkicks. This keeps the defense honest, for one thing, and takes major advantage of being able to fire from pretty much the length and breadth of the whole table width. And don't forget that there will prolly always be a defender who can outrace you no matter how fast you "pitch", at least for that moment, and at least for that game on that day. Usually when you're fighting to get into the finals or into the money round of an event. It just works out that way. Anyone familiar with the American Wild West gunslinger tradition is very familiar with this: "There is always someone faster on the quickdraw, and when you meet him, that's the day you die.."
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As for your deadball shot, I've seen the reverse or mirror image of that shot thousands of times, but from a pushkick. One variation is to have the slow pushkick to the 32, which "stunts" at the long and bounces the ball back to the 31, which shoots a relative straight shot into the near hole. The much more common variation, however is to shoot a pretty quick pushkick from 31 to 32 which also "stunts" at the long and bounces back the ball, BUT THE SHOOTER WAITS TILL ITS JUST PAST THE NEAR HOLE... and then comes in with the 31 to shoot a very natural slight angle into the near hole, or perhaps even a diagonal to the middle or far hole. I've seen this variation on the pullkicks, too, of course, since this variation doesn't fight or go against the bar being 'dead."
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The dink and fakey dinks to PK seem like a good compliment, though. Perhaps only if the goalie is attempting to use a racing defense on your PK. Are PKs often used in a series like this? Which shots compliment it?
Incorporating additional variations to any shot from the same takeoff are almost required to have an effective "kill" shot, and exactly for the Wild West reasons I described above. Never be predictable and one-minded with a screaming long. For another reason.. continuously using a rocketfast lateral shot is also tiring, and this will bite you viciously the better you get, and the more you advance in a league or tournament. Non-single figure shots like push kicks and pull kicks definitely take more of a toll, energy-wise, concentration-wise and consistency wise (they're automatically more complex than single figure shots like pushes, pulls, Europins or rollover/snakes)... Unless you're inhuman and almost robotic. But you have to be sure you're one of those... and that only comes with a lot of insane practice and tourney regimens.
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I'm at a crossroad right now between choosing the euro-pin or the PK. I'll be putting in about 20 hours a week practice on one of these. I need to choose quickly so I can get my shot down asap.
As far as practice goes, what I've been doing is this: I have a bowl of balls sitting next to my 3-rod. I toss one (with some decent force) down to my 5-bar to get used to picking up loose balls. I then tic tac up and down through my 5 bar until I get to the near side. I tic tac between the 51 and 52 and do a brush pass wall/lane (uphill). If I fail the pass I start over again at the 5. If pass is successful, I set it up in front pin. I have the goalies set up with 1 finger distance from dead bar with a rod lock and I alternate between doing a pull side or push side euro shot. If I fail the shot, I keep attempting it until I get it. Then I start back at the 5bar - rinse, repeat.
Any suggestions on how I could improve my solo training routine? I try to do things slowly at first and have them gradually ramp up to combat speed after about an hour.
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Ohh. that'll get you there.. nice dedicated regimen! And you can look at all professional players in field soccer, ATP tennis players, basketball and hockey players, pro or national. The top players don't have one kill shot, they have several. And they continuously work to perfect their kill shots, all of them, while also continuously working on those shots that they are relatively weak on. Perfect your strengths (never just one..) and work to minimize your weak points or weak shots..
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