diff --git a/Documentation/config.txt b/Documentation/config.txt
index ea434af9db..d6d89ba463 100644
--- a/Documentation/config.txt
+++ b/Documentation/config.txt
@@ -209,19 +209,6 @@ core.compression::
 	compression, and 1..9 are various speed/size tradeoffs, 9 being
 	slowest.
 
-core.legacyheaders::
-	A boolean which
-	changes the format of loose objects so that they are more
-	efficient to pack and to send out of the repository over git
-	native protocol, since v1.4.2.  However, loose objects
-	written in the new format cannot be read by git older than
-	that version; people fetching from your repository using
-	older versions of git over dumb transports (e.g. http)
-	will also be affected.
-+
-To let git use the new loose object format, you have to
-set core.legacyheaders to false.
-
 core.packedGitWindowSize::
 	Number of bytes of a pack file to map into memory in a
 	single mapping operation.  Larger window sizes may allow
diff --git a/builtin-pack-objects.c b/builtin-pack-objects.c
index d94c79a339..5fa98132fe 100644
--- a/builtin-pack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin-pack-objects.c
@@ -346,56 +346,6 @@ static void copy_pack_data(struct sha1file *f,
 	}
 }
 
-static int check_loose_inflate(unsigned char *data, unsigned long len, unsigned long expect)
-{
-	z_stream stream;
-	unsigned char fakebuf[4096];
-	int st;
-
-	memset(&stream, 0, sizeof(stream));
-	stream.next_in = data;
-	stream.avail_in = len;
-	stream.next_out = fakebuf;
-	stream.avail_out = sizeof(fakebuf);
-	inflateInit(&stream);
-
-	while (1) {
-		st = inflate(&stream, Z_FINISH);
-		if (st == Z_STREAM_END || st == Z_OK) {
-			st = (stream.total_out == expect &&
-			      stream.total_in == len) ? 0 : -1;
-			break;
-		}
-		if (st != Z_BUF_ERROR) {
-			st = -1;
-			break;
-		}
-		stream.next_out = fakebuf;
-		stream.avail_out = sizeof(fakebuf);
-	}
-	inflateEnd(&stream);
-	return st;
-}
-
-static int revalidate_loose_object(struct object_entry *entry,
-				   unsigned char *map,
-				   unsigned long mapsize)
-{
-	/* we already know this is a loose object with new type header. */
-	enum object_type type;
-	unsigned long size, used;
-
-	if (pack_to_stdout)
-		return 0;
-
-	used = unpack_object_header_gently(map, mapsize, &type, &size);
-	if (!used)
-		return -1;
-	map += used;
-	mapsize -= used;
-	return check_loose_inflate(map, mapsize, size);
-}
-
 static unsigned long write_object(struct sha1file *f,
 				  struct object_entry *entry)
 {
@@ -427,25 +377,6 @@ static unsigned long write_object(struct sha1file *f,
 				 * and we do not need to deltify it.
 				 */
 
-	if (!no_reuse_object && !entry->in_pack && !entry->delta) {
-		unsigned char *map;
-		unsigned long mapsize;
-		map = map_sha1_file(entry->sha1, &mapsize);
-		if (map && !legacy_loose_object(map)) {
-			/* We can copy straight into the pack file */
-			if (revalidate_loose_object(entry, map, mapsize))
-				die("corrupt loose object %s",
-				    sha1_to_hex(entry->sha1));
-			sha1write(f, map, mapsize);
-			munmap(map, mapsize);
-			written++;
-			reused++;
-			return mapsize;
-		}
-		if (map)
-			munmap(map, mapsize);
-	}
-
 	if (!to_reuse) {
 		buf = read_sha1_file(entry->sha1, &type, &size);
 		if (!buf)
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 8e76152645..5725bce6f4 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -273,7 +273,6 @@ extern void rollback_lock_file(struct lock_file *);
 extern int delete_ref(const char *, const unsigned char *sha1);
 
 /* Environment bits from configuration mechanism */
-extern int use_legacy_headers;
 extern int trust_executable_bit;
 extern int has_symlinks;
 extern int assume_unchanged;
@@ -354,7 +353,6 @@ extern int move_temp_to_file(const char *tmpfile, const char *filename);
 extern int has_sha1_pack(const unsigned char *sha1, const char **ignore);
 extern int has_sha1_file(const unsigned char *sha1);
 extern void *map_sha1_file(const unsigned char *sha1, unsigned long *);
-extern int legacy_loose_object(unsigned char *);
 
 extern int has_pack_file(const unsigned char *sha1);
 extern int has_pack_index(const unsigned char *sha1);
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index 70d1055679..298966f215 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -299,11 +299,6 @@ int git_default_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-	if (!strcmp(var, "core.legacyheaders")) {
-		use_legacy_headers = git_config_bool(var, value);
-		return 0;
-	}
-
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.compression")) {
 		int level = git_config_int(var, value);
 		if (level == -1)
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 22316597df..54e3abae98 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 
 char git_default_email[MAX_GITNAME];
 char git_default_name[MAX_GITNAME];
-int use_legacy_headers = 1;
 int trust_executable_bit = 1;
 int has_symlinks = 1;
 int assume_unchanged;
diff --git a/sha1_file.c b/sha1_file.c
index 32244d704e..e71552795a 100644
--- a/sha1_file.c
+++ b/sha1_file.c
@@ -972,7 +972,7 @@ void *map_sha1_file(const unsigned char *sha1, unsigned long *size)
 	return map;
 }
 
-int legacy_loose_object(unsigned char *map)
+static int legacy_loose_object(unsigned char *map)
 {
 	unsigned int word;
 
@@ -1034,6 +1034,14 @@ static int unpack_sha1_header(z_stream *stream, unsigned char *map, unsigned lon
 		return inflate(stream, 0);
 	}
 
+
+	/*
+	 * There used to be a second loose object header format which
+	 * was meant to mimic the in-pack format, allowing for direct
+	 * copy of the object data.  This format turned up not to be
+	 * really worth it and we don't write it any longer.  But we
+	 * can still read it.
+	 */
 	used = unpack_object_header_gently(map, mapsize, &type, &size);
 	if (!used || !valid_loose_object_type[type])
 		return -1;
@@ -1962,40 +1970,6 @@ static int write_buffer(int fd, const void *buf, size_t len)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int write_binary_header(unsigned char *hdr, enum object_type type, unsigned long len)
-{
-	int hdr_len;
-	unsigned char c;
-
-	c = (type << 4) | (len & 15);
-	len >>= 4;
-	hdr_len = 1;
-	while (len) {
-		*hdr++ = c | 0x80;
-		hdr_len++;
-		c = (len & 0x7f);
-		len >>= 7;
-	}
-	*hdr = c;
-	return hdr_len;
-}
-
-static void setup_object_header(z_stream *stream, const char *type, unsigned long len)
-{
-	int obj_type, hdrlen;
-
-	if (use_legacy_headers) {
-		while (deflate(stream, 0) == Z_OK)
-			/* nothing */;
-		return;
-	}
-	obj_type = type_from_string(type);
-	hdrlen = write_binary_header(stream->next_out, obj_type, len);
-	stream->total_out = hdrlen;
-	stream->next_out += hdrlen;
-	stream->avail_out -= hdrlen;
-}
-
 int hash_sha1_file(const void *buf, unsigned long len, const char *type,
                    unsigned char *sha1)
 {
@@ -2062,7 +2036,8 @@ int write_sha1_file(void *buf, unsigned long len, const char *type, unsigned cha
 	/* First header.. */
 	stream.next_in = (unsigned char *)hdr;
 	stream.avail_in = hdrlen;
-	setup_object_header(&stream, type, len);
+	while (deflate(&stream, 0) == Z_OK)
+		/* nothing */;
 
 	/* Then the data itself.. */
 	stream.next_in = buf;