I have so much fun with my mini 14, after the work over it preforms like a sports car, it use to be cheap to shoot kind of like driving a sports car use to be cheap (bullets and gas prices have gone thru the roof) but I still do it anyway.
I am thinking about a mini30 as well a little more umph behind it..... + I have a butt load of 7.62by 39mm.
The price of the mini is going up lately but they seem to be more of them available at the gun shows around here..I dunno why?
I got mine for 500. like new very clean in the box, then spent 550. on making it shoot straight. Make a good varmint gun as well, or zombie gun if the need arises!