Ultimate Defense Firing Range & Training Center

CCW and CRAC class completed with this business. Several firearm purchases also. Top notch service and great range. Highly recommended for all your gun needs.

Spent 8 hours training for my CCW yesterday with Josh. It was an awesome class and really did not feel like it was 8 hours. He kept it interesting and made it fun, I haven’t laughed that much in a really long time. But most importantly he talked about the seriousness of guns, safety and the responsibility that you have being a gun owner. My daughter, my niece and now I have taken the course and we all would highly recommend Ultimate Defense. Best 135.00 that I have spent on a training class.

It was my first time shooting. The staffs were awesome! The gentleman taught us everything about shooting. I tried 24 and 9 mm pistols. Great deal with Groupon.

I agree with most of other reviewers… super friendly staff. It can get crowed at times but that’s because of the quality of the staff and facilities. I highly recommend going if you haven’t been you won’t be disappointed.

Each time I have been here I have been super impressed with the knowledge and customer service of the staff. Everyone goes out of their way to be helpful and answer any questions you may have. They have a good selection of rental guns and it’s a clean facility.

Good but not great. Three ups and three downs:
+ Extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff — the guy we spoke with was seriously great!
+ Good selection of rental 9 mm handguns
+ Varying engagement distances available via motorized target holders
— Sally port to the range could benefit from some sort of interlock. Lots of people don’t obey the rules about only having one door open at a time.
— Store layout needs work. On a busy Friday night and we were climbing over people in the aisles when we tried to go get more ammo or change weapons.
— Several of the rentals needed the attention of a gunsmith. Issues with trigger action and repetitive jamming.

This is the only shooting range I’ve been to and was the first time I shot a gun. My boyfriend had purchased a new handgun at Cabela’s, and the salesman suggested their ladies’ night beginners class to me when I told him I had never shot a gun before. I looked the class up on and was easily able to purchase and sign up for the date I wanted. I also called ahead of time to see if I could bring in my own gun to shoot (answer was yes).
The first half of the three hour long class was classroom. We reviewed gun safety, proper handling, etc. We then went into the range which was closed to others. There was one instructor for every three ladies in the class. We shot a 22 revolver and handgun. Very clear instructions were given to ensure safety, and the instructors went around to assist with grip, stance, etc. We were then given the opportunity to shoot a 9 mm. I brought my boyfriend’s gun so I was able to shoot this instead of the guns they provided.
At the end, they were about to start a target shooting/​accuracy contest, but the time was now over three hours, and I had to pick someone up from the airport. The head instructor was very kind and walked me out. I am incredibly glad I took this class. It was extremely informative and well put together. The instructors were great and able to work with all levels of experience (like I said, I had zero but some ladies had little or moderate experience/​knowledge).

At first I was really excited to find a shooting range/​gun shop that had specific classes for women, but I should have thought twice after speaking to Bill on the phone. Customer Service is not his strongest skill and he has a tendency to talk over you and not listen. But I went ahead and booked my mother into his class for the next day. When we arrived we were told that he had given my spot to someone else and treated me and my mother very a very high level of hostility.
Maybe he was having a bad morning, but I don’t think so. I am taking my money to a business that has more respect for the customer.

For a shooting range, I like Ultimate Defense, but my comparative reference is light. I’ve also been to the open range at Reifsnider State Park — a free range, south of Wright City/​Warrenton. However, my friends who shoot and who visit a range, all seem to go to Ultimate Defense.
I’ve never had to wait for a booth. The facility seems to be in good shape, clean, and safe. Ample lighting in the range [and the store, too], the ventilation is good — air blows in by the shooter [though not like a fan or highly noticable], and is apparently drawn out down range. I’ve heard some ranges go the opposite direction, and this puts all the bad stuff in the face of the shooters.
UD seems to have a good selection of guns for rental, including several long guns. This is where I tried out several to check fit and comfort with the handling of the firearm. It was nice to be able to test them out. When shooting their weapons, they determine the ammo that is acceptable for the gun, and I’m fine with that … as long as ammo is available. One of my colleagues loads his own bullets, and they are not amenable to that ammunition being used in their guns. Again, that’s fine — it’s their gun.
They do sell firearms, ammo, and accessories. Again, a decent and diverse selection. Pricing was a bit high for the ammo and the guns, but not crazy. Mike’s Guns, along Hwy 94 in St Charles has very good pricing for firearms.
I plan on taking courses. I have friends who have taken courses here, and give UD favorable marks.
Service level is fine. I’d be a bit stressed out working there — worried about newbies coming in and having accidents. My brother-​in-​law in the Sheriff’s department was telling me that the number of applicants for concealed carry is up like 400% this year. So, this has to have an impact on the demeanor of the staff at firing ranges everywhere — it isn’t just the seasoned pro who is availing herself of facilities such as these.
In summary. I feel safe. The staff seem competent and vigilant, but not ridiculous. Certainly courteous. The place is in good shape and order. I like it.

I just took the First Shots class last night and had a blast. Chris, the instructor, was professional, courteous, and made the class fun. He was very knowledgeable and explained the correct way to do things. He also had some great stories on what not to do as well. The location was clean, well-​lit, and unintimidating. All the instructors were very helpful and answered all my questions. This place is really top notch and I will continue coming here for the foreseeable future. I can’t say enough about this place. If you are on the fence about looking for beginner classes, put Ultimate at the top of your list. You will not be disappointed.

I’ve been here a few times. The range is nice with one section for rifles and one section for pistols-​only. My only complaint is that (because of a city ordinance) they won’t allow children under 16 to shoot there.

I went to Ultimate Defence because I wanted to see what some of the other indoor ranges in the STL area were like and I really enjoyed it. The ventilation was very good. I was impressed that they allowed for rapid fire as most ranges do not allow that. The staff were great. I also used them for some training classes and I cannot say enough good about that experience. ⁵⁄₅ stars (which is a huge deal for me to give out)

Great indoor range with hourly rates comparable to other StL indoor ranges. They offer rentals to try and have ammo to purchase. They also have firearms and accessories to buy. Staff is friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. They offer ccw, shooting, women’s, and other classes as well.

Really great range and a decent ish shop. Sean and I have been coming here to practice shooting and to check out what’s for sale. I was complaining about not being able to get my ear plugs in all the way (the cheapie foam ones) when one of the guys who worked there overheard and suggested I get custom ear plugs made by one of the guys who works there (he’s also a cop.) So I got his number and we made plans to meet at the range to get plugs made. It’s $ 65 and it takes about 30−45mins total to get them done and in your hands but so worth it. Definitely an improvement on the foamies. I’d recommend him, his name is Matt.
Overall great customer service, clean, well ventilated, and they have classes too. I am planning to do CCW eventually. If Sean H.‘s friend can’t do it, we will likely come here. Prices are fair-​ish. This is also by far the MOST professional range I have been to yet. They have you fill out a rules sheet and make you sign and date as well as take your photo for an ID card the first time you shoot. They scan the card everytime you shoot to keep track of your purchases and make it easier for them to process your payment and such. Really efficient way of doing things. Lots of lanes to shoot in as well. Not sure how their memberships compare to others though.
I just know we will be back because it’s the closest range to our house… about 15 – 20 min drive.

The name is correct: This is the Ultimate.
LOTS of guns on the rental wall to try out, a very knowledgeable and well-​versed staff, and plenty of classes offered for shooters of all skill levels. My only negative comment is that even after their recent expansion, there’s still the occasional wait.
I took my CCW class here and the instructor (Josh Gilliam) was exceptional, offering lots of information, clearing up common misconceptions, and providing a bundle of course materials and handouts that will come in handy if I ever need to brush up on the rules and regulations for carrying a weapon.
Even though the range fees for basic members are reasonable, I found it a «no brainer» to sign up for a (very affordable) Gold Membership which has been worth every penny.

From the moment my son and I walked in the door we were treated very well. The facility was clean and the staff was very helpful. The range was also clean and everything was explained well. Prices for ammunition were reasonable and you have to purchase their ammunition to fire in the guns you can rent. NI am not sure about that if you bring your own gun in. Overall this is an excellent facility and I look forward to going back soon.

This place has it all. A very nice indoor gun range, a fully stocked gun store, and friendly, helpful staff. This would be a great place to take your significant other for an unusual date night. They offer CCW classes (very affordable 1 day class $ 135). You can rent a range lane by the hour, or they have memberships. In the winter time, this will be a regular destination for the missus and myself, to maintain proficiency.
I cannot really speak to their prices, as I was not looking to buy anything particular during my visit. They have guns that you can rent, ammo, and targets. I don’t know if you need your own hearing protection and eye protection, or if they have loaner equipment.
This is exactly the kind of place that was needed in St. Charles county.

By far the best shooting range in St Louis. Expert advisors and clean and top notch shooting range. For this fast growing market this is THE place to be.

I live in the city and I make the 45 min drive to this place.
Staff is spot on. Customer service, knowledgable, polite, etc.
Facility is beautiful, lite up and clean.
I give this place a A+, especially compared to Bullseye in city, that place literally gets a F-​. The owner tried to unexpectedly add a random 40.00 to my bill.
I feel real comfortable taking the wife here and she also feels comfortable. My last visit I noticed a flyer that gives FREE classes to kids ages 6+! Thats unbelieveable.

I went to a Dell Storage technology lunch event here.
the facilities were really nice. They had a nicely setup meeting room and plenty of room for everyone that came.
After we ate some Bandanna’s BBQ we were instructed on how to act while in the range and the safety for handling our firearms.
I really enjoyed the instructions and was impressed by the knowledge the instructors had. They were all basically Cops that also work here on the side.
We finally got into the firing range after putting on the required safety equipment. The Dell team had rented and supplied the ammo for about 15 different hand guns and a few rifles.
I fired just about every one of them and had a blast. We even had some competitions where the instructor would use a device that would beep and count how many seconds to each bullet fired. he would have us stand with our hand up, we would hear the beep pick up the hand gun and fire in the two shoot and see targets and see who could do it faster.
I got 2.8 seconds on a Glock 9 mm.
It was a blast, literally. We also did something called rolling thunder where we loaded up all the guns and waited for the first person to fire then we opened up as fast as we could pull the trigger. it was load and awesome.
I really enjoyed my time and will most likely be back to shoot my 22 rifle.