Here's what I'd do if I were selling that gun (I'd do all of these things, not just some of them). These suggestions are based upon having sold quite a few guns on GB, all of which brought at the very top range of what I'd seen the same/essentially the same guns sell for, and also having watched literally hundreds of auctions and paid attention to how the listings performed. I've also bought quite a few on GB -- I've bought a lot of bargains -- and have learned what sellers should NOT do with their listing, and how to spot a listing that isn't likely to attract bidders.
You did one of the most important things correct: Do NOT put a reserve on the listing -- that's an almost sure-fire way to avoid most would-be bidders. Beyond that, I suggest you do the following:
1. I'd cancel the current auction and start a new one.
2. Add 8 - 12 more good quality photos. That is, GOOD quality, no-excuses photos. Experiment with different lighting and different color background to see what your camera likes, but I've found that a dark-ish background works best for my phone camera (many phone cameras are excellent these days). Bidders want to feel like they know EXACTLY what they will find when they open the box upon receiving the gun. Even if the gun is brand new and people can easily look up hundreds of photos on the internet, post lots of photos of the exact gun that you are selling. Photograph all angles and sides of the gun. Open the cylinder and photograph both ends and all areas, and the muzzle, the hammer, the grip, and all controls. More photos are better than fewer photos.
Here's a decent photo of a gun, made with a cell phone -- don't just throw it down on your desk or tailgate and snap a photo with a haphazard background and other items in the photo. At the time I sold this one on GB it brought $200 more than other similar ones were selling for.
3. Write an honest description of the gun and don't claim that it's in better condition than the photos indicate.
4. Start the bidding at $.01. Many people don't have the guts to do this, but it attracts MANY more watchers and bidders than a higher starting price, and once people start thinking they might possibly win the auction, they often get caught up in it and bid higher than they otherwise would pay for the gun. If you go and search out all of the guns like yours that have brought a relatively high price, I'll bet you find that almost all of them started the bidding at a penny, a dollar, etc. And as stated earlier, do not put a reserve on it.
Further on the starting price... Another thing that often results in a lower selling price is starting the bidding at an "okay" price. For example, let's say you have a gun that has been selling for $500 -$540 in other auctions. You decide to start yours at $480 because you think that will attract buyers, and you hope that a bidding war will ensue. Unfortunately, it's not likely. A lot of potential bidders will see the listing but the $480 starting price isn't low enough to really get their attention because it's not enough of a bargain. If you start the bidding at $.01, those potential bidders are likely to put it on their watch list, check it once in a while, and gradually get more an more interested and "invested" in it over the course of the auction. These guys are the ones who are most likely to bid it up at the end of the auction after having watched it and daydreamed for several days about winning the auction. I've found myself on both sides of this situation -- as both a buyer and seller -- and as a buyer I've chased some $.01 start guns higher than I would have paid if I'd just stumbled upon them listed at the price that I eventually paid for the gun.
5. Adjust your shipping cost to where it's even with or slightly lower than most competitors (even if you have to absorb a little bit of the shipping cost yourself). The best way (in my state, anyway) to ship a handgun is to find an FFL that will ship it for you for a reasonable fee. FFLs can ship handguns in a USPS flat rate box, (about $18 or less) then if they charge you, say, $20 extra, you are a lot better off than shipping it yourself.
6. Run the listing for approximately 12-14 days, and end it on Sunday night at about 10:30 PM Eastern time.
As I said, I've sold several guns this way and they all brought at or above the very top end of the range that similar guns had been selling for.
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