I will comment on old Minis, with the stupid slick plastic buttplate, that if you at least glue some rubber strips to the plate, so it doesn't squirt around on your shoulder, they will shoot better.
I have one of the old 180 series rifles. I'm getting tempted to fire it up, just to see what it will really do
The AR today is no doubt a better rifle for hard use, after its decades of development. It didn't have that reputation, though, in the 1970's, and many thought a scaled down M14-style action would have superior reliability. Bill Ruger was no dummy at judging his markets, so it's easy to see why the gun was popular at first.
