When you select a target and have a beam weapon selected, show the efficiency of the weapon given the range as a ship buff on the sidebar
Could do the same with projectiles, showing range, and maybe some on enemy manuverability rating and resulting range modifier.
You could also make weapon speed explicitly based on weapon base range, instead of the other way around. Possibly make pd have the extra range and less damage like how you tweak cannons now
Given all frag is pd(I think) and say, double range and half damage, could revert the frag modifiers too.
Correspondingly, this would also mean any range modifiers, like skills, bueys, or hullmods adjust projectile speed. Unrealistic too, but in a different direction. But since you don't want to adjust jinking, only option I think.