Whatever works, works. We all have our preferences as well as thoughts of what is acceptable in accuracy for the job at hand.
I had a really nice (very nice wood) Mini-14 stainless several years ago. It shot "OK" but nothing to write home about. It was fun to shoot, but loud as heck. Both my ARs shoot circles around it.
As mentioned before, AR's can be had for a pretty decent price right now. If you are after accuracy on a budget, then go with an AR, but if you just like the Mini, and won't be shooting very far, then use that. Whatever works for you is what is important. For me, I probably will never own another Mini since the ARs I have shot will group so much better.