In the owners manual that came with my Mini30 it to use
only 7.62x39 ammo. Now I did run into a an old Army guy at the range who said that if he wants to shoot for real accuracy he uses quality .308 ammo. I use only the 7.62x39 russian stuff (ok, I'm cheap
) and can shoot 2-3 inch groups at a hundred yards. To me that is acceptable. BTW, I could not shoot that well with the standard Ruger rear site. I bought an Ashley aperture site that mounts in place of the original that is easily adjustable for windage and elevation. It is also pretty beefy. After using the aperture site I sold the scope I was using as past 150 yards I prefer my AR or FAL for accuracy. My Mini30 has about 3000 rounds through it and has performed flawlessly with a minimum of maintenance. The only hi cap mags I have found that worked perfect
all] the time were some genuine Thermold 30 rounders. These are
not the clear plastic Eagle thermomolded mags, but real Thermolds. I have not been satisfied with anything else I used.
With a muzzle brake the Mini30 is a very controlable rifle, is small and compact, and is "PC" looking (at least until you stick a 30 round mag in it). New, they aren't real cheap. $450-$550. But if you look around at gun shows and are willing to hagle you can get below $400 I believe. And ammo is cheap and plentiful too. Not having used an SKS I can't give a comparison. But I would say this, if you are going to keep it in your car and get pulled over and searched, it looks less "evil" that an SKS, AK or AR.
MHO