Another common technique, or tactic or ploy (take your pick) with reserve auctions is to have one or more shills bid it up to just short of the reserve. An intrepid bidder sees what looks like a lot of bidding activity and this helps him believe the gun is actually worth that much. He enters his bid and the reserve is tripped and surprise, surprise, no one bids after him. He becomes the, "winner"
Many auctions have what looks like a lot of bids when in fact there is only one actual bid
Caveat Emptor.
