St. Peters Shooting Range Seeks to Expand

The St. Peters Board of Alderman is expected to vote on a request to amend a special use permit for Ultimate Defense so the business can add a 9,947 square foot addition to the site.  

Owner Paul Bastean, a Lake Saint Louis police sergeant, said he started Ultimate Defense about 2 and a half years ago. Demand from customers was so great that he expanded within five months from 12 to 18 shooting lanes. 

Ultimate Defense is located at 590 Turner Blvd. in St. Peters

"We're at a point now where we have not only the range usage but the classroom usage," he said. "We have 23 courses, we can't offer them with as much frequency as we need because the facility is just not big enough."

Now, expansion has become "absolutely necessary," Bastean said. Ultimate Defense has contracted with Cabelas in Hazelwood to offer their training courses. 

Ultimate Defense expects to add a new building to the complex which will allow them to add eight additional lanes, 40 percent larger retail space and two additional classrooms. 

Bastean said his customer base isn't what he initially expected, which was "gun guys".

"We really tried to open the market up," he said. "We started working the different shows, the Working Women's Survival Show, the Big River Harley Show. A good 50 percent of our people are gun guys, but we have a huge group of people out there who five years ago would have never touched a gun." 

The St. Peters Planning and Zoning Commission approved Bastean's application for a special use amendment for expansion.  The Board of Alderman will consider the issue Thursday.