My Rem 870 jamming up on me?

I have a new-to-me Rem 870, syn stocked 12ga with a 26" barrel and remchoke. It also has the j-lock on the safety. Anyway, I have shot three boxes out of it. (International, 23/4" target loads made by Federal; and 2/34" Federal Game Loads, #8shot), About three times now, with the two different kinds of ammo listed, I have fired and the slide has just locked up tighter than a drum. No racking it back to eject without considerable effort. I have determined that the brass is getting stuck in the chamber. The last time it was so stuck that I had to bang the stock on the ground to eject the shell. When I put the spent shell that was stuck back in the chamber, it got stuck again. So I am fairly certain it is a ammo problem.

Also, I have had this problem once before. About 10 years ago my brother's Mossberg 500a did the same thing multiple times with a single box of ammo. Interestingly, the Mossberg's dual extractors would break free leaving the spent round jammed in the chamber. My 870's single extractor stayed firmly gripped to the spent case.

So, my questions are:

Have any of you wise shooters experienced this problem?

Is it merely an ammo problem? If so, any ammo that is particularly prone to jamming?

Any other ideas?


Thanks in advance,
-bjk7

P.S. Can I replace that safety button for one without j-lock? I hate that stupid thing!


(

Hmmmm,
41magsnub, you know, I haven't cleaned it. That could be it, but all of the other shells cycled smooth as butter. However, there was a distinct black smudge on the brass (or is it a steel case on these shells?) on the cases that got stuck. I will scrub the chamber and see if that helps. I figured that the case was misshapened, or maybe even expanded.

Thank you for the reply. By the way, I see you are in Missoula 41magsnub. I am in Missoula too. I was grouse hunting yesterday up off route 200 out of Bonner. Saw a big 4x4 bull last night up there!! Can't wait for Sunday.

tmpick,
That is exactly what happened to me, and coincidentally, I bought the ammo at Wal-mart too, for 4.96 a box.

So, I looked at the chamber again. It looks to be smooth and shiny. I even scrubbed it with a piece of scotch bright and dish soap, (I don't have anything else on hand) and nothing really came out on the scrubber. No tool marks in the chamber either. While I had the barrel off I also dropped each remaining shell from the box into the chamber and all slid right in and would easily drop right back out. Also, I might add, no live shells were ever difficult to chamber, only a spent hull has lodged in the chamber after firing.

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Well, I will be seriously dissappointed if I have to pay to get the chamber polished to shoot bulk pack ammo reliably because I can't afford to shoot anything but bulk pack. I hope that is not the case.

So, what does a chamber polish entail? How much should I expect to pay?

I suppose I would rather pay up front for a reliable gun with all ammo, rather than questioning whether or not I will get a follow-up shot. Otherwise, I would have bought a single shot. It often takes me more than one shot to get a bead on a grouse that just busted from the bushes.

Edited to add: I Just saw your post sbarkowski. Thanks for the tip. sounds like something I can handle. I will look into it.

Again, thanks everyone. A lot of help here. Saved me a lot of headscratchin on my own.

Virginian,
thanks for the tips! Just googled "brake cylinder hone" and I see what you are talking about. Handy looking little tool. I think I will try with the fine grit sand paper and steel wool first. But, if that fails, it looks and sounds like the honer is the ticket for the job. Will have to give that a try, only as a last resort though.

One more question for you. I have a variable speed drill. Should I keep that hone running relatively slow, or speed it up? I see potential advantages/ disadvantages either way, but not quite sure. A little leary of honing with a stone though. I have had to reprofile a knife edge or two back in the day that were ruined after some quick, but very poor, honing skills.

Thanks again everyone for taking the time. It is refreshing how everyone here is so eager to offer help! Stand-up people here.

Xm21,
Yeah, about that stupid j-lock safety.... So is it interchangeable with standard safety buttons, or do I have to get a special one as a replacement? Are there any special tools required to replace it?