Firstly, thank you for the confidence.

L3 has various tube grades, the photos below will help explain the "UM" and "UA" designations better along with the corresponding number designations





Unfilmed image tubes will have better recoil resistance over thin filmed tubes, as well as better overall specs and halo performance specifically, so that's definitely something to consider.

And just so I can help answer your questions better, are you talking about weapon mounting a PVS-14 or are you considering these tubes for a dedicated clip-on housing? Thanks in advance

Correct

Just to confirm your terms are matching expectations - a night vision clip on device is something like a KAC UNS-LR-A3 which is a dedicated clip on nod intended for weapon use and it goes in front of a magnified day scope.

PVS-14s need to be mounted behind an optic and work best with a 1x sight such as an EOtech or Aimpoint due to light transmission and space. Basically, it would replace where a magnifier would go, and we make the TNVC TM14 which uses the Aimpoint twist mount base so users can switch between their magnifier and a PVS-14. It is a lower 1/3 mount.

Honestly, if you're kiling critters then I'd go with a thermal instead.

Semi down because of the hurricane hitting us hard here, still limited cell, no power, net, etc.

We are very low on M23H and 20UM grade tubes.  We do have units in stock and now shipping services in our area are back up and running as of today, so we are current on orders.

To build on what Will has posted, and to hopefully get you up to speed on modern PVS-14 setups:

The first question and determining factor should always be... "what do you plan on using it for?"

You've laid out some good specific use cases such as "general surveillance, and for limited use doing astronomy" as well as small game hunting/pest control and it's sounds like some general preparedness is in there as well. With that out of the way, I can definitely say that a good PVS-14 will fill those roles rather nicely. They are great for navigation, astronomy, surveillance, and helmet mounted shooting at closer distances (with help from your choice of a quality red dot or IR laser device)

For the most part, weapon mounting of PVS-14s is a thing of the past. This is a result of a few reasons, and some of them tie into your goal of not having to reconfigure existing rifle setups that are already zeroed with day optics etc, deal with rail space issues, and ideally not spending more money on a new dedicated upper for night vision use only.

To clear things up further, PVS-14s don't really do well behind magnified optics. There are some exceptions like a TA31 ACOG or 3x magnifiers, but it's still not great and it's typically only done in a pinch. You won't be looking through an LPVO or other scopes with great results. Behind a red dot is where they work best.

Helmet mounting a PVS-14 allows you to simply aim through any good night vision compatible red dot. It doesn't need to be married to one of your uppers. This gets rid of recoil concerns altogether, and for the most part doesn't require reconfiguring a new upper and optic setup (typically just a taller mount if you already have a quality red dot). If you don't mind investing further, an IR laser is a great option to add to a rifle, and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg either. The Tor-Mini IR  VPC we sell takes up almost no rail space and I believe it's on sale currently for $115. You can definitely plink some critters with it.

When you don't want to use it helmet mounted, simply remove it and use it as a handled scanner or thread it on to a telescope adapter for astronomy.

If you want to scratch the astronomy thing and don't need something to navigate with then a thermal is definitely going to be superior for killing critters.


Since you mentioned your SR25:
For those looking for night vision capability paired with a precision rifle like an SR25 so they can shoot at distance, a dedicated night vision clip-on is the best option. Something like a PVS-30, PVS-24, or a CNVD-LR. But that's a totally different animal altogether, and far more expensive. Clip-on devices that go in front of day optics are built to handle recoil in high round counts on rifles. A PVS-14 isn't a clip-on device, in that it doesn't have the same recoil management and the lenses don't support that function. A clip-on such as what I just mentioned above fills that role and that role only.

I hope that gives you some info to chew on if nothing else. Feel free to give us a call if a conversation helps clear up any other questions.

Like Riley said, it really depends on what you want to do. Our training team always say "Define Your Requirements" lol.

If you want to take shots using your PVS-14, what I'd do is get a quality 1x optic (if you don't have one) such as an EOTech EXPS which has the best light transmission for use with NV and an NV height mount such as the Unity Tactical FAST. Taller NV mounts are one reason PVS-14 weapon mounts have fallen out of favor because if you want to aim with your -14, wearing it on your head you can get behind the optic to shoot while still being able to scan & move with it head mounted.

Another option is to use an IR laser, preferably a MFAL (multi function aiming laser - technically it's multi function aiming light), but an inexpensive IR laser pointer only like the TOR-MINI-IR will ($115) do the job for the average distance a 1x head mounted device can see/ID something.  

Feel free to give me a buzz as a 2-way conversation is almost always better than texting back and forth when it comes to stuff like this.