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The "Ranch Rifle" moniker is a pretty apt one for the Mini-14. It is a handy, little reliable rifle that is good for carrying in the back of the truck and using around the ranch.
The problem is price - at $900, you are paying the same price as budget-end AR15s and the AR15s will be about equal in durability, close in reliability, much more accurate, no problems with heat, better iron sights and better ability to mount optics. Not to mention that you can fix and repair the rifle yourself if necessary without having to send it back to the factory.
If you step up to the $1,200-$1,300 range, you can get hard use AR15s that will be extremely reliable (Pat Rogers reports that they finally broke down and cleaned the Colt 6940 at around 15,000+ rounds when it would no longer function reliably). The same rifle without the fancy handguard (6920) can be had at $1,250. The Bravo Company rifles (in the $1,000 range) had similar performance.
If you just plain do not like the AR, then either the Saiga .223 or the KelTec SU-16 will do the same things the Mini-14 will at a much lower price point.
The Ruger isn't a bad rifle by any means; but Ruger places a much higher value on it than I do. It has expensive accessories. It is more difficult to mount optics on. It strings shots when it heats up (and it heats up fast) and accuracy is mediocre, though acceptable. On the plus side, it is light and handy and generally seems to run pretty well; though when they do break, you are hosed until Ruger can fix it as it isn't a DIY type of rifle.
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