In addition to this thread, try a search here on "Mini-14." I did this yesterday and came up with 243 hits! You'll learn more about this rifle than any gun rag editor will ever know.
To recap my experience with the weapon: I have a Mini-14 SS Ranch Rifle with the plastic stock, sighted with a Leupold 3x-9x x 40. It will shoot 55 gr. FMJs, Georgia Arms, into 1 7/82 moa from a cold barrel. The second 5-shot group opens by 1 inch. The third, by another. The fourth, by another. You get the idea. From what other poster say, I think I was lucky to get a copy that shoots this well. Just don't figure on using it for protracted gun battles. Of course, if you're in that situation you either really messed up to begin with or you needed a good battle rifle from the start. The Ruger is a great rifle to have for shots up to 150 yards, for up to about 10 rounds. At that point, you've either neutralized your target, or someone got closer, or you got the heck out of there. The Ruger should serve for any of those.
Would I rather have an AR? You bet. But buying the Ruger allowed me to buy a Kimber (that doesn't malf) and a LOT of .223 practice ammo for the price of a good AR. The trade-off worked for me.
By the way, the Mini-14 trigger pull is gawdawful, and the LOP is reminiscent of a child's BB gun. It will still shoot, though.
Precision Mags work best for me, 20 and 30 round. I've had good luck with others too, but it's riskier and more expensive to shop around too much. The functioning of my rifle has been flawless, except for two mags that were clearly causing some malfs. I have rapid-fired full 30 round mags, repeatedly, until the gunstock began to give off burning plastic aromas. It wasn't much good for shots past 50-75 yds., but didn't malfunction once.
Good luck however you go.