RE: Mini-14's
I just bought a Mini-30, and am frankly underwhelmed. I have a Ruger M77 and love it, so it seemed a natural to get another Ruger.
The accuracy issue is for real, although I have gotten accustomed to the trigger and can now put five shots in 4 inches on a good day. That's unsupported prone with peep sights.
What I have found most infuriating is the magazine. The mag that came with the rifle had failed in the spot welds along the front. I got hold of Ruger and had them send me a new one. The new one is okay, except for the small detail that it won't chamber the final round. I've fired off 8 full magazines, and seven times it failed to chamber - the bolt cocks but the round is still sitting there in the magazine.
It is fun to shoot but definitely has some glitches. Knowing what I know now, I don't know if I would have bought it. I still go round and round on that question. A point on price, it costs around $700 in real world money (MSRP is a marketing device), and you can't get into an AR for less than $900 (or $1,100 if you want a good one).