It does... Along with several other million people who own, or have owned, them.
Must be why Ruger has been able to sell every single one they can build for going on 50 years...for some pretty premium prices.
Probably just a fad gun... Like home computers...
The Mini 14 has a following for sure , and they are built reasonably well even if the design is not a great. I can think of a lot of products which are not awesome from an engineering standpoint but they still have a following .
For those who are bike enthusiasts here Campagnolo drive trains and brakes had the same reputation fo and were known for being well built with poor shifting and braking qualities.
Frank Berto said they were poorly engineered but so well built that they will continue shifting poorly for decades