I've been curious about the Ruger Mini series since the early 90s but I've always avoided them because of their reputation. At this point in my long gun journey, I'm looking at "wants" and one of my wants is a 7.62x39 carbine that doesn't start with AK, CZ or SKS.
I've already narrowed down the bolt action choice to either a Howa 1500 or Ruger American which uses Mini magazines. That brought the Mini series back to mind and I remembered hearing about changes and improvements over the years but I don't really know what or if anything has actually been improved.
My use case and expectations are pretty simple. No TEOTWAWKI fantasies, no carbine classes, no expectations of it being a precision or DM rifle, just fun at the range. I might mount a LPVO or dot just because my eyes need all the help they can get.
So here's my questions so far:
Is accuracy still minute of pie plate (Mini-14 and Mini-30) or has it improved? More importantly, is the accuracy level (good or bad) consistent? I can do inconsistent accuracy all on my own, I don't need the rifle to help.
Are Mini-14 mags still proprietary or do newer ones use AR mags? If proprietary, are they at least reliable (factory or quality aftermarket)?
Are Mini-30 mags reliable? (factory or quality aftermarket)
That's all I can think of at the moment, thanks!