Give me time, I have plenty of negative and smart-alec remarks in my history though I deem even some of them helpful.
I've got both an M3 and a TLR-1 and am happy with both. The TLR is an LED so it took a bit of getting used to the lighting difference but it seems to be a better fit with the handgun than with a long gun. The lighting seems to be softer and more diffused when looking from behind it but on the other side it does seem to disorient others pretty well. The M3 is a halogen and seems to cast the light a bit further which makes it better able to use the long gun's advantage of range. But everyone's eyes are different and you may find the opposite to be true. I haven't used an X200 much, just a few rounds at the range when someone else was trying theirs out. It seemed pretty good but are too expensive for my blood if I have the model right.
I think very highly of the 10/22, I have two of them sitting in the safe and have owned several over the years. All of them have been rather accurate even with Wal-Mart bulk ammo with there not being a great advantage to getting the target models unless one is looking to upgrade a standard model with the less expensive barrel/stock kits. Then it is a little cheaper to get the factory set up and I think it is a bit more accurate. If you are going whole hog on the target set up, buy the cheapest model you can as you are replacing everything anyway. The only one I don't like is the Carbine as the stock is short and I don't like the curved butt. There is an extension available for $10-$15 that adds an inch or so but it is still curved. I did this to the one I use for pests around the house at night along with a flashlight with a remote switch clamped to the barrel. Two aftermarket parts I think are very beneficial are the extended magazine release and the replacement bolt close feature. Both these devices are kind of hard to use as the factory supplies them and are available aftermarket from MidwayUSA for fairly reasonable. For under $40 including shipping, you should be able to get both these items as well as the stock extension mentioned above.
The Mini-14 is a pretty reliable gun but is not noted as being the most accurate. Buddies of mine had them for coyote hunting with hounds but they have all traded theirs in on AR-15s. The main complaint was accuracy, 4" groups at 100 yards are not unusual though some guns and ammo brands can reduce that some. The is a company that specializes in accurizing Mini-14s but at a starting price of $1200 plus the $450-$500 for the Ruger one can buy a pretty decent AR and realize the same accuracy if not better. If you are just looking for a plinker and one hole accuracy is not a needed the Ruger is a very good choice ad you should be pleased with it. I really like the looks over the AR but I went with the black rifle as I also use it for work where the accuracy may make a difference.
