Choke tubes are color coded to make identifying choke size easier without having to remove the choke. They feature a colored band on the extended portion of the choke that corresponds to a specific choke size. This choke tube color comparison chart consolidates the most common choke tube color schemes for rapid identification.
Jump to: Choke Tube Color Chart – Beretta – Briley – Billman – CX Arms – SKB – Rhino EliteChoke Tube Color Chart
The choke color reference chart above lists the color bands you can expect to find for the most popular chokes in 12-gauge and 20-gauge that use color banding. Choke tube sizes are listed from open to tight and include cylinder, skeet, improved cylinder, light modified, modified, improved modified, light full, full, extra full, and turkey.
The most common choke tube band colors are blue, green, white, black, and orange. The shading of these colors varies due to the extensive color spectrum used across the industry. Simply match the color of your choke tube to the correct brand and closest choke color in the chart to identify its size.
Manufacturers tend to use the same color schemes across their product lineups, but this can vary by choke system. There is no universal color scheme accepted by the choke industry at this time.
Beretta Choke Tube Colors
| Beretta Choke Size | Beretta Color Band |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | Blue |
| Skeet EU | Purple |
| Skeet USA | Red |
| Improved Cylinder | Yellow |
| Light Modified | Orange |
| Modified | Green |
| Improved Modified | Black |
| Light Full | Gray |
| Full | White |
| Extra Full | No Color |
The color of Beretta choke tubes is generally the same across its many choke systems. Beretta’s standard choke color scheme is Blue for Cylinder, Purple for Skeet EU, Red for Skeet USA, Yellow for Improved Cylinder, Orange for Light Modified, Green for Modified, Black for Improved Modified, Gray for Light Full, and White for Full.
The difference between Skeet EU vs Skeet USA chokes is the diameter. Beretta Skeet EU is a choke that meets the European standards for skeet choke size. It measures .005” in diameter. Beretta Skeet USA is a choke designed for United States Skeet and measures .006”. Skeet EU and Skeet USA will have a purple and red bands, respectively.
Optima and Optima Plus chokes have the most color options available with 9. Followed closely by Mobil and Optima HP choke systems with 6. Mobil and Optima HP lack Skeet EU, Light Modified, and Light Full color-coded choke sizes.
Briley Choke Tube Colors
| Briley Choke Size | Briley Color Band |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | Purple |
| Skeet | Green |
| Improved Cylinder | Orange |
| Light Modified | Red |
| Modified | Blue |
| Improved Modified | Gray |
| Light Full | Dark Red |
| Full | Black |
| Extra Full | Light Green |
Briley Spectrum Chokes for sporting clays feature 9 color bands of various sizes. Cylinder is Purple, Skeet is Green, Improved Cylinder is Orange, Light Modified is Red, Modified is Blue, Improved Modified is Gray, Light Full is Dark Red, Full is Black, and Extra-Full is Light Green.
Billman Choke Tube Colors
| Billman Choke Size | Billman Color Band |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | White |
| Improved Cylinder | Blue |
| Modified | Red |
| Improved Modified | Orange |
| Full | Green |
Billman choke tube sets come in packs of 5. They are color coded with the following: Cylinder is White, Improved Cylinder is Blue, Modified is Red, Improved Modified is Orange, and Full Choke is Green.
Billman choke sets lack Skeet, Light Modified, Light Full, and Extra-Full color-coded choke sizes.
CX Arms Choke Tube Colors
| CX Arms Choke Size | CX Arms Color Band |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | Blue |
| Improved Cylinder | Orange |
| Modified | Red |
| Improved Modified | Brown |
| Full | Black |
CX Arms choke sets can also be found in 5 packs. They include: Cylinder is Blue, Improved Cylinder is Orange, Modified is Red, Improved Modified is Brown, and Full Choke is Black.
CX Arms choke sets lack Skeet, Light Modified, Light Full, and Extra-Full color-coded choke sizes.
SKB Choke Tube Colors
| SKB Choke Size | SKB Color Band |
|---|---|
| Cylinder | Dark Blue |
| Skeet | Green |
| Improved Cylinder | Orange |
| Light Modified | Red |
| Modified | Blue |
| Improved Modified | Gray |
| Full | Black |
| Extra Full | Light Orange |
SKB Competition Series Color Banded choke tubes feature 8 different sizes. They include: Cylinder is Dark Blue, Skeet is Green, Improved Cylinder is Orange, Light Modified is Red, Modified is Blue, Improved Modified is Gray, Full is Black, and Extra-Full is Light Orange.
SKB Competition Series chokes lack Light Full color-coded choke sizes.
Rhino Choke Tube Colors
| Rhino Choke Size | Rhino Color Band |
|---|---|
| Improved Cylinder | Aqua |
| Modified | Orange |
| Improved Modified | Silver |
Rhino Elite Series chokes are color banded and available in 3 different sizes. Improved Cylinder is Aqua, Modified is Orange, and Improved Modified is Silver.
The Rhino Elite Series lacks Cylinder, Skeet, Light Modified, Light Full, Full, and Extra-Full color-coded choke sizes.
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