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what is the term for continuing to squeeze the trigger after the bullet fires?

The term you’re looking for is “follow-through.”

What “follow-through” means

  • In shooting, follow-through is the act of continuing to hold the trigger to the rear and maintaining your sight picture after the shot breaks, instead of immediately relaxing or moving the gun.
  • Training materials describe it as keeping steady pressure on the trigger and keeping the sights aligned for a moment after the bullet fires to avoid jerking the gun and throwing the shot.

Why follow-through matters

  • The bullet takes a brief but real amount of time to travel down the barrel, so any flinch or movement just as it fires can push the muzzle off target. Follow-through helps prevent that last‑second disturbance.
  • Hunter and rifle-firing courses specifically teach “continue the squeeze or follow through after the bullet fires” as a key accuracy habit.

TL;DR: Continuing to squeeze the trigger after the bullet fires is called follow-through.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.