An extractor mechanism with improved reliability is provided having an extractor arm pivotally mounted within a pocket in a firearm slide. The extractor arm includes a body portion and a hook portion, the body portion being disposed within the pocket and the hook portion extending out of the pocket from an opening proximate to the breech face. The hook portion is biased toward the firearm's firing axis and includes a distal edge sized to engage a cartridge rim. The hook portion preferably has a height greater than the body portion and the portions are preferably connected by a curved portion. Two surfaces preferably meet at the distal edge of the hook portion, with the surface more proximal to the breech face being substantially parallel to the breech face and the surface more distant from the breech face, diverging from the breech face at an acute angle.