11B,
I do in fact have a G30S and am carrying it today. In fact it gets carried quite a bit in the fall and winter/cold weather. I have a strong affinity for this model and believe if this G19 sized model had been out in the era of LE prior to 40s being the rage, then getting dumped like they were more socially unacceptable than Hillary at a Benghazi Survivors Convention, they would have been a huge hit.
But the fact is that 9mms are the "in" cartridge for anti personnel/defense purposes, and .45 is for "old guys", even though the same technology that made the 9mm now so deadly, has been applied to .45 projectiles too. I really think this model shines in a role for people who want a gun to serve dual roles as an outdoors gun, for a lightweight hiking/hunting sidearm where they may encounter large aggressive animals, or may work around large livestock.
People always talk about not needing large cartridges because there are no large animals in their AO, but completely fail to recognize the fact that large livestock can be and IS deadly and will injure/maim/kill you just as quick as your typical black bear/mountain lion/grizzly. A BUNCH of guys get injured by vehicle struck cattle/horses etc every year, and a mad, injured cow is no joke. I have put more than a couple down and they can be a bit sporty.
Anyways, the G30S is a sleeper in my view. It is a G19 sized, easy shooting, easy packing platform. I do not know about any upgrades from the first G30S' that you make mention of, but others may chime in that are more "in the know" about such things. I know I really like mine for wolf country where there are lots of fast moving targets and I may have a pack frame full of elk meat and 6 rounds of .44 magnum may be gone in a couple of seconds, then things could get ugly. They make a lot of sense.
For a guy who only wants one sidearm to serve as a CCW, and hiking handgun, they could do far worse.
Oh, I also did some "plastic surgery" on mine to get a higher grip. Then scuffed up the front strap, removed the finger groove. It really made a difference.
Cheers!