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[jimboo]

in that case, sell a few stacks to a trader, a lot of them get destroyed in shooting and don't cause an unhappy thought... The remaining few won't cause a problem

I generally melt them to reclaim the silver until masterwork quality.  I have more than enough money from the trained cooks and the training weaponsmiths making serrated discs anyway. 

On training Marksdwarves:            (because I have some time to kill this morning ...)
Again, it’s a bug/exploit but if you don’t mind using such things (me, I consider “cheating” using DFHack; anything and everything that Toady has hard-coded into DF is fair game),

There are many ingenious methods of training marksdwarves posted on Bay12 but really, it’s so easy and quick just with a danger room.  You don’t need to make targets or ranges.  Danger rooms have been written about ad nauseum so I’ll just summarize:

1) many players don’t use DRs because they’re so astoundingly efficient.
2) 10 training spears per tile takes a lot of wood but makes a big difference in training times.
3) No one has ever quantitatively proven the optimum size for a DR.  Most players use 1x4.  I’ve found 1x5 is better, a LOT better (as in, > 20% faster).  “More bigger is more better” and I’ve set up many but not enough to post something statistically valid.  1x5 is what I use, 10 spears each.
4) Wiki says statues along the sides help; I’m not so sure from my experience.

To train a marksdwarf, send him/her/squad to the DR with only a cloak (protect the throat) and a crossbow – any crossbow.  They’ll use it to bat the spears and very quickly become Proficient or better in skill.  Then un-equip the crossbow so they don’t get attached to something low-quality. 

Many players post “find magma” as a high priority.  Me, I want the outer walls up, then a danger room because those make defense SO much easier.  Trained squads are the key to early survival.  When I have enough migrants, I form squads.  First trip through DR is with leather armor and a cloak; this trains dodging skill.  As it states on one of the old, archived Wiki pages, “if your guy is better at dodging than the other guy is at striking, your guy will win.”  Second trip through is with shields – preferably masterwork wood because they’ll get attached eventually and if it’s masterwork, OK (wood is as good as anything else, equal in defense and still able to bash a goblin’s brains in through an iron helm).  Third trip – if I have the time and nothing better to do – is with a weapon.  3 trips = Legendary dodgers, Proficient+ fighters, Proficient+ armor users, good enough with weapons.  I keep ten unconnected air/screw pumps in the barracks so when primary squads are not training in moodable skills, they’re cross-training on Toughness, Strength and Agility.  I start my embark with one dwarf a Proficient Teacher who gets promoted to Champion as soon as possible; nobody ever gets rusty (of course, he's a "squad of one" who gets DR-trained on every weapon). 20 of my guys backed up with marksdwarves using masterwork crossbows and bolts are more than enough for the 80 or so with flyers that come by at least once a year.  Because they’re Tough, great dodgers, in armor, with masterwork shields and good weapons, they seldom endure more than a fractured arm or a cut somewhere.  I do lose a few dwarves now and again until everyone is in steel but I’m always outnumbered at least 2:1 .

Anyway, it isn’t actually necessary to train marksdwarves with the bug in the current release, but it’s an easy thing to do if you want.  I’m still not sure it would make much difference against a Bronze Colossus, though. 

[Dwarvinator]

I set up a bronze colossus in a niche opposite a training room for archers. The idea being, if they show up to swing their crossbows about they'll see it and let fly. I realise now it won't help build their skills (although I have oodles of copper bolts need using up anyway)  - but if they knock off its arms and legs, won't the melee guys gain experience from kicking the disarmed torso about?

[Garath]

well, it won't build melee skills, but BCs have always been good target practice dummies. It should build their ranged skills faster than shooting at a stationary target

[lwCoyote]

I keep ten unconnected air/screw pumps in the barracks so when primary squads are not training in moodable skills, they’re cross-training on Toughness, Strength and Agility.

I did this for the first time recently in one of my forts, and it didn't seem to help any, even after a year of pumping. No change in the description of the dwarf, and no change in the stat numbers when I checked them in Therapist >.>  How can I tell if its actually doing anything?

[jimboo]

Therapist won’t show this one, you’ll want to check each dorf’s thoughts and preferences directly from DF.  When you see one go from flimsy, clumsy and weak to extremely agile, incrediby tough and mighty, it’s working.  Wiki has a page on Cross-Training.