When I went to the original Urban Rifle course at Thunder Ranch in TX in 1993, I took two AR-15s. Neither broke.
AR-15 parts are prolific, as are add-ons. Not so much for the Mini.
Also, the Mini's downfall is the mags, cheap mags = bad performance, Ruger mags = good performance.
However, in the SHTF or EOTWAWKI, AR STANAG mags will be readily available, Mini mags, not so much.
I have an AR parts drawer with triples of anything I might ever need in this lifetime, and ARs are easy to build and repair with commonly available parts.
I'm all about having the thing that is most available when I need to resupply.
