I don't know what is causing that problem but I ended up selling my Ranger controllers. Even when they were working "perfectly", the responsiveness just wasn't quite what you expect as far as paddles. I highly recommend getting two sets of original paddles and connecting them via a 2600-daptor. You get that precise feel you need. If you decide to go this route, respond to this message and I can give you details and send a photo of the setup. You'll need a few adaptors to get it working.
I've spent a ton of time trying to figure out the perfect paddle setup for 4 player paddle games. I really wanted to use the Atari VCS classic controllers on Stella to work so I could use them wirelessly, and while they do technically work, they're just not as precise as the setup with original controllers and the 2600-daptor, even at the highest sensitivity.
After spending countless hours experimenting, I'm convinced the best way to play paddle games is through the Retron 77 community build with the 2600-datptor.