Flightsticks having limited range?

[chaoticprout]

While testing with my team's flight sticks, I decided to check out the dashboard readout on the steering wheel we were using to see the readouts from the sticks. I promptly noticed that after going halfway forward the flightstick was already at 254, and halfway backwards it was at 0. I checked with our other flightstick to make sure it wasn't an erroneous stick. Is this how the sticks are? Seems like a problem unless your drivers like very sensitive (or am I missing something really stupid?)
Thanks.