How do you guys train your colonists?

[Merry76]

Having given up on turrets (I hate them quite a bit... one molotov, and its basically a goner), I looked into other strategies... I currently employ a gauntlet thats made up from debris that gives me neat, near indestructible cover, while I deny the enemy even the sligthest bit.

However, this requires my guys to shoot vaguely straight - not something anyone could do with a measly 3 shooting skill.

I figured out four kinds of skillups:

Shoot people/animals: This is pretty straightforward, but probably leads to death. Muffalo's do not like being shot at.
Beat out fire: Its a bit odd, but shooting does rise quite a bit while colonists do this. May be a bug.
Fire on a stockpile with rubble/corpses/dead animals (take a fast shooting weapon with low range like pistol or uzi for that one). Skill raises, and destroys stuff to boot. (My favourite technique)
Draft everyone, give someone a molotov/incediary launcher, and torch the prairie. Mark the burning inferno as home zone. Undraft everone and let them do the firefighting again. Still a bug, but you dont have to wait for a short circuit or a dry thunderstorm. Might result in crispy colonists if you are not careful.

Unless we get training dummies, this might be all. Not sure if beating up prisoners would work too (as punching stuff raises brawling and shooting, and vice versa).

So, what do you guys do?

[Calistyn]

Mostly I just end up getting raids so close to one another that their skill raises anyway, and I don't ever need to do it intentionally. :p

Didn't know you could fire on a stockpile though, I'm going to have to try that!

[Rahjital]

I recommend building a nice little shooting range somewhere close to where your bedrooms and food dispenser is, as it reduces the risk of somebody coming into the line of fire and getting themselves hurt (especially if you carve the room into the mountain). Just put a fully forbidden dumping area there to get yourself an indestructible target which nobody will use, and you are set. Pistol is probably the best weapon for training this way. A well rested and fed person can get about 3500 exp a day, which is pretty good for low levels.

Once you get your colonists to higher levels, training on live targets is a better idea. Give the guys some incendiary launchers and find some boomrats travelling the wilderness to train with. Boomrats have enough health to take some punishment, and the inaccuracy of the T-9 along with the small size of the rats makes actually hitting them very uncommon. Just be wary of any fires you might cause, although if beating out flames really gives experience as well, it might be a good thing.