I'm not certain about the new breed of Mini's, but I have some experience with an older Ranch. Mine is a #188 series in S/S. When new, in 1993, it was only so-so in accuracy. Last year I decided to address the issue. I've been able to re-work the action and make improvements to the point that the Mini will now shoot 1 1/2" groups at 100 yards. That's ten rounds fired in under two minutes. And the Mini is still fitted with the original Ruger barrel.
Point is that the typical shooter/hobbyist can re-work a Mini and get it to perform better.
Many of the improvements I made were to the finish, fit and smoothness of the metal surfaces. At one location, the finish of the surface was excessively rough. Other mods include changes made to the slide assm., as well as adding a few accessories.
About the barrel; I have added a devise on the barrel of my Mini, though it's not a strut. One function of it is to provide additional support to the gas block; the design of the new Ruger barrel also does that.
I can see how the placement of the gas port is tricky to locate. Not only must it be indexed correctly, but its position from the receiver must be exact, or it puts the slide assm out of alignment for proper bolt lock up .
Bill Ruger designed a rifle which was able to be manufactured utilizing the least amount of machining operations. To me, it's understandable that improving the fit and finish of the parts results in a better product.