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I was thinking of making a tool to compress each barrel like a pex ring tool, but slightly longer. My concerns would be if the barrels could take it, and if I could keep it straight. Not as "good" as threading for choke tube's, but...

Many years ago the cheap pex ring tool people used was closed with bolts instead of compound lever handles.

Bob,
If the barrels are not choked and you want more than you can get from a "Jug choke", there is another possibility. Many years ago, I had a friend whose father made a lot of money in local turkey shoots. He bought cheap single shot guns and by turning the barrels in his lathe while "crowding" the muzzle with a smooth tool in the compound slide. Thid swaged the barrels to some supper full choke. The patterns would not be uniform but would have an area, somewhere, of concentrated shot. since he knew where this area was, he would win most times. Pretty soon someone would offer him a lot of money for the gun, and he would sell it. He would then get another gun from his truck and start over again. Depending on the lathe you have, you might be able to swage chokes into the barrels before you put them together.
On a different thought, Heym made me a set of shotgun barrels for an O/U I had. I watched Rudi Henneberger and Helmut Kerner adjust the POI so the barrels would impact together. They used a reamer with a long handle which one of them turned at the chamber end, while the other one "crowded" the cutting end of the reamer over in the required direction. You might find either or both of these ideas helpful.
Mike

I had to look up "jug choke." Never heard of it before, but it makes sense. I have some junk singles in the safe I could play with, but they are already full. Then... they are junk singles.

I thought about swaging, but also considered as your dad's friend showed it could be hard to predict the pattern location.

Wallerin' the hole with a reamer never even crossed my mind. I'll have to think about that one.

My thought was to compress to slightly less than desired choke diameter indicate in the barrel and skim muzzle bore to size. Swaging might well do the job without making a tool.

I've got a 14x40 3hp import lathe thats...decent for an import lathe. I've also got a slightly better turret lathe, but it's not really suited for this type of work. I use it when I need to make ten or more of something.

Bob,
A 14-40 will have a spindle bore large enough to pass the barrel and that is the main requirement. I think you have to work close to the chuck, so turning it between centers shouldn't work. I have a couple friends with 14-40 import lathes, and they are very satisfied with them. Good Luck.
Mike