Mark Padilla of Wyoming took a shot in the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) 2013-14 raffle and won a custom Weatherby Mark V rifle.

The raffle raised more than $165,000, which will provide educational funding to NHSRA members.

Since 2001, the NHSRA/Weatherby Scholarship Fund rifle has raised more than $1.3 million via the annual raffle.

“The rifle raffle with Weatherby has exceeded anything we could have imagined in our wildest dreams in the past 13 years,” said NHSRA Marketing Director Austin White. “The tickets practically sell themselves, especially when we have the custom-made Mark V rifle available for ticket buyers to see in person. The program has grown each year, and NHSRA members have benefitted from the funds we’ve raised with the raffle.”

White added, “Mark was smiling from ear to ear when he came to our office after his name was announced. We sold tickets all year and all across the country, but the winner was a Wyoming resident who bought his ticket on-site the day of the drawing.”

This year’s raffle drawing was held July 19 at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming. NHSRA members around the country sell raffle tickets. The state of Nevada raised the most money this year, with Arizona a close second. For more information on the NHSRA, visit www.nhsra.com.

Valued at $14,000, the Scholarship Fund rifle features the NHSRA logo and is topped with a Leupold riflescope donated by Leupold & Stevens, Inc. Other key features include:

• Caliber: .300 Wby. Mag.
• “NHSRA Scholarship Rifle 2014” engraved on the barrel; NHSRA logo engraved on the floorplate
• NHSRA logo embossed on the strap of the rifle’s walnut-tone leather case
• low-luster blue metal finish and engraved 24-karat gold and silver selective plating
• exhibition-grade claro walnut stock with ebony tip, cap and gold swivels
• stock has a satin oil finish and checkering in a fineline point pattern
• brown sidewall recoil pad
• 26-inch #2 contour barrel
• Talley two-piece mounts

Founded in 1945, Weatherby, Inc.’s line features the new WBY-X products as well as the popular Vanguard Series 2 and legendary Mark V rifles (production and custom), Threat Response shotguns and rifles, semi-auto and pump shotguns, premium ammunition and security/shooting accessories. For more information, go to www.weatherby.com. The company is based in Paso Robles, Calif., and invites all hunters and shooters to visit its free online community at www.weatherbynation.com or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Weatherbyinc. Follow @weatherbyinc on Twitter.

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