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I have one in stainless. I like it just fine, I bought it because I wanted something in 7.62x39, and for teh same reasons you stated. I bought mine from another member of the forum. So, it was broken in, and I cannot speak to a"new in box" rifle.
For HD, it's quite alright. If were planning on using it for hunting, I would look at something different. The mini-30 can be made to accurate at near 200 yards, but it's using a round that was designed for close combat, and not much else.
Also, as a "ranch rifle" I can only assume that Ruger had 50 to 100 yards in mind as a defensive range. With the iron sights, that kind of range is acceptable, to me.
Magazines can be expensive. Many of the plastic,and resin based mags tend to deform at the top. They may also balk at the lock up configuration when inserting the mags. I load my 30 rounders light for storage, with 20-25 rounds. That keeps the lips from spreading too badly. Metal mags have fewer problems.
Personally, I think it's a fun gun.
Here's a subforum on Perfect Union that has plenty on the mini-14/30. Lot's of opinions. http://www.perfectunion.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=86" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;