The Frankford Arsenal Standard Media Separator (FA-QSS) is a highly straightforward, manual sifting pan designed to streamline the case preparation phase of ammunition reloading. It provides a purely mechanical solution for separating dry cleaning media, such as crushed walnut shells or corn cob media, from cartridge cases after they have been processed in a vibratory case tumbler. Because this unit is 100% hand-operated and requires no electrical power, Australian handloaders do not need to worry about 240V electrical compatibility, SAA approvals, RCM certification, or local plug configurations. It is designed to sit securely on top of standard plastic utility buckets with capacities of 3 ½ or 5 gallons (approximately 13 to 19 litres).

Key Features

• Manual Operation: Completely mechanical design requires no motors or electrical hookups, making it highly portable and reliable.
• High Retention Walls: Sifter side walls measuring 4 ¾ inches (approximately 12 cm) in height keep empty brass casings safely contained during vigorous shaking.
• Optimized Sifting Floor: The bottom features engineered 0.275-inch (approximately 7 mm) perforation holes that allow dry granular media to fall through easily while retaining the brass.
• Lightweight Construction: A net item weight of approximately 0.35 to 0.38 kg (0.8 lbs) minimizes hand and wrist fatigue during manual swirling or shaking.
• Standard Bucket Fit: The 9 ½-inch (approximately 24 cm) bottom diameter sits securely on top of most standard 3 ½ or 5-gallon utility buckets.

Specifications

• Model: Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ™ Standard Media Separator (FA-QSS)
• Type: Manual sifting pan
• Power Requirement: None
• Side Wall Height: 4 ¾ inches (approx. 12 cm)
• Bottom Diameter: 9 ½ inches (approx. 24 cm)
• Hole Perforation Diameter: 0.275 inches (approx. 7 mm)
• Net Item Weight: 0.35 to 0.38 kg (0.8 lbs)
• Package Dimensions: Approximately 13.7 x 13 x 4.8 inches (approx. 35 x 33 x 12 cm)
• Bucket Compatibility: Standard 3 ½ or 5-gallon utility buckets

Who is the Frankford Arsenal Standard Media Separator for?

• Handloaders processing small-to-medium batches of pistol brass — features a lightweight net item weight of 0.35 to 0.38 kg, allowing users to comfortably sift batches of up to 400 empty casings by hand without fatigue using this manual brass media separator.
• Reloaders utilizing dry vibratory tumbling media — utilizes 0.275-inch sifting hole perforations to quickly clear corn cob or crushed walnut shell media from empty casings directly into a standard bucket.

Less suitable for: Reloaders who utilize wet rotary tumbling with stainless steel pins. The 0.275-inch sifting holes will allow fine steel pins to fall through, and the open-pan design lacks a splash guard to contain water, meaning wet processing requires a completely enclosed, rotating drum-style wet/dry media separator. Sifting efficiency also degrades on batches exceeding 600 to 800 pistol cases.