I know you generally ignore me, but I'm going to try and help anyway.
Short answer, yes the high end stocks are better. I'll get to that in a minute.
Between the two mid-range competitiors, HS and B/C, I'd take B/C every time both dollar for dollar and for the two simple facts that HS can't get a bedding block in straight to save their lives and they have the rudest bunch of customer service reps I have ever encountered.
McMillan makes a great stock. They also have excellent customer service. Manners makes a fantastic stock and has equally good service, although my smith and a couple of friends have said their orders have been wrong or imperfect on more than one occasion. I just saw one a couple of days ago that had a short action inlet with a recoil lug located for a long action. Crazy.... that being said, I just ordered another one....
HS and B/C are made of some sort of compressed chipped material, like fiberglass and foam or something. I don't know what it is but chips tend to grow in holes. I've had a lot of both of them
McMillan and Manners both offer stocks that are injected with some sort of magical foam that's tough as nails and for the most part machineable. Both offer a carbon shell as far as I know and McMillan uses a fiberglass shell also I believe. Not sure but they're about bulletproof.
So basically it boils down to do you want chipped glass covered in epoxy or a solid molded shell injected with something about as tough as dried chupacabra slobber.
Your pick, hope this helps, although clearly I'm not an expert.