 The slide mechanism which pushes the cartridge into the breech of the barrel also contains a claw (called an extractor) which slips over the rim of the cartridge and grips it.During recoil, the extractor pulls the now-empty cartridge case from the chamber.As the slide nears its full rearward motion, a projection in the slide, known as the ejector, is struck by the moving cartridge case and, being located on one side of the slide and offset to that side, causes the moving case to fly out of the handgun action.