This year the CW2 Duskin 3-Gun match hosted 167 shooters through 7 stages which honored the lives of fallen SF members. Signs were posted at each stage in memory of the fallen from a particular unit with each member’s name listed. Like a typical 3-Gun match, each stage required the shooter to use a combination of pistol, rifle, and shotgun or all three. Unlike your typical match, the CW2 Duskin 3-Gun included its signature physical stages requiring shooters to clear walls, scale an assault ladder from a ground mobility vehicle into a shoot house, drag a 150-pound dummy, 180-pound chain, and carry kettle bells with a combined weight of 140 pounds. Below are descriptions of all 7 stages each with a video link of its execution. Stand by for our final post with the full match video!
STAGE 1 In Memory of the Fallen of 2nd Battalion
This stage highlights the work 2nd Battalion did in the hay day of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The stage takes place in one of the shoot houses and is target heavy, fast and up close, and personal. Competitors make entry on the 2nd floor via the ladder of an assaulter ground mobility vehicle. They clear the top floor with a carbine and finish the floor with some long range shots out a window. Moving down to the first floor, competitors finish clearing the rest of the house with their pistol.
STAGE 2 “Shotguns Be Damned” – In Memory of Mike Duskin
Mike loved shooting pistol and rifle; shotgun not so much. He thought 3-Gun would be a lot better if it were just 2-Gun. In memory of Mike’s shotgun hatred, competitors are tasked with harnessing that hate and anger to complete this shotgun heavy stage. Shooters engage a combination of clays and knock down targets before finishing with the always friendly Texas Star. Should competitors need to, they can finish off with their pistol.
STAGE 3 “Crushing Steel” – In Memory of Mike Duskin
This stage has become a staple of the Duskin 3-Gun. If Mike wasn’t on the range he was in the gym. If paperwork needed to get done, the gym is where you could find Big Mike. In memory of two of Mike’s greatest passions, we combined these 2 skills into one stage that is all steel and all muscle. The challenge; crush the steel, be like Big Mike. Shooters engage some steel, lift heavy objects (this year a 180-pound chain and two 70-pound kettle bells), and shoot some more. Just for fun, this year competitors finished off with a Death Star (a swinging Texas Star). As is customary, shooters can opt to go shirtless for this stage for style points just as Mike would have.
STAGE 4 In Memory of the Fallen of Air Force Special Operations Command
This stage was dedicated to 3rd Group’s AFSOC brothers. Most of the places you find ODAs you will also find CCTs, JTACs, and PJs. They have spilled the same blood and slung the same lead. To honor their Air Force brethren, this stage has competitors breaking out of an “ambushed” vehicle and engaging targets in, around, through and under a series of vehicles with their pistol and carbine.
STAGE 5 In Memory of the Fallen of 4th Battalion
This stage highlights 4th Battalion’s work in austere AOs with little support. This is a meeting gone bad stage. Competitors start seated at a table. They must “fight” their way out of the shoot house with their pistol, scale a wall, recover their carbine from beneath a dummy, and finish off the bad guys. This stage starts slow and quickly escalates to running and gunning.
STAGE 6 In Memory of the Fallen of 1st Battalion
1st Battalion made a name for itself during its tenure in Afghanistan by racking up a large number of long range kills. This stage highlights those accomplishments and honors its fallen. Competitors start off with a long range engagement at 450 meters with an issued M110 before engaging pistol targets that reach out to 80 meters. Finally, they finish off the array with a series of carbine targets out to 350 meters.
STAGE 7 In Memory of the Fallen of 3rd Battalion
This stage is dedicated to the work of 3rd Battalion in Afghanistan. Competitors engage a series of targets through a maze with pistol, shotgun, and rifle. This highlights some of the close engagements that presented themselves in the green zones of such splendid places like Shok Valley, Kapisa, and Kunar. In the middle of the mix, competitors must “rescue” their buddy and move him to safety before securing the area.
