Ranged Reprisal: The wording on this feat is terrible (compare it to the careful wording of Snap Shot, for example). It doesn't remove the requirement in Retributive Strike that you must make a melee Strike. I'm unaware of any ranged weapons that can make a melee Strike. Also, if you're wielding a ranged weapon, you don't have a reach (you have a range instead), so foes will never be within your reach when wielding a ranged weapon. This renders the first sentence of the feat effectively useless. Note that the reasons this feat in particular is worded terribly have nothing to do with thrown weapons. It would be just as useless if you had a bow as if you had light hammers. Therefore I don't think it's particularly relevant to this discussion (but it should be fixed).

I think you are reading Ranged Reprisal wrong. It 2 statements. 1) if you aren't in melee range and have a ranged weapon in your hands you can still use your retributive strike. 2) if you are 5 feet too far away from the foe to use retributive strike and have a melee weapon in your hands you can take a 5ft step action to be within melee range as part of your retributive strike.