diff --git a/libguile/struct.c b/libguile/struct.c
index cdbe8f47f..7ba242a23 100644
--- a/libguile/struct.c
+++ b/libguile/struct.c
@@ -255,7 +255,25 @@ scm_i_struct_inherit_vtable_magic (SCM vtable, SCM obj)
 
 
 static void
-scm_struct_init (SCM handle, SCM layout, size_t n_inits, scm_t_bits *inits)
+scm_struct_init_1_default (SCM handle, size_t idx)
+{
+  SCM_STRUCT_DATA_SET (handle, idx,
+                       SCM_STRUCT_FIELD_IS_UNBOXED (handle, idx)
+                       ? 0
+                       : SCM_UNPACK (SCM_BOOL_F));
+}
+
+static void
+scm_struct_init_1 (SCM handle, size_t idx, scm_t_bits val)
+{
+  SCM_STRUCT_DATA_SET (handle, idx,
+                       SCM_STRUCT_FIELD_IS_UNBOXED (handle, idx)
+                       ? scm_to_uintptr_t (SCM_PACK (val))
+                       : val);
+}
+
+static void
+scm_struct_init_array (SCM handle, SCM layout, size_t n_inits, scm_t_bits *inits)
 {
   size_t n, n_fields, inits_idx = 0;
 
@@ -264,23 +282,28 @@ scm_struct_init (SCM handle, SCM layout, size_t n_inits, scm_t_bits *inits)
   for (n = 0; n < n_fields; n++)
     {
       if (inits_idx == n_inits || scm_i_symbol_ref (layout, n*2+1) == 'h')
-        {
-          if (SCM_STRUCT_FIELD_IS_UNBOXED (handle, n))
-            SCM_STRUCT_DATA_SET (handle, n, 0);
-          else
-            SCM_STRUCT_SLOT_SET (handle, n, SCM_BOOL_F);
-        }
+        scm_struct_init_1_default (handle, n);
       else
-        {
-          SCM_STRUCT_DATA_SET (handle, n,
-                               SCM_STRUCT_FIELD_IS_UNBOXED (handle, n)
-                               ? scm_to_uintptr_t (SCM_PACK (inits[inits_idx]))
-                               : inits[inits_idx]);
-          inits_idx++;
-        }
+        scm_struct_init_1 (handle, n, inits[inits_idx++]);
     }
 }
 
+static void
+scm_struct_init_list (SCM handle, SCM layout, SCM inits)
+{
+  size_t n_fields = SCM_STRUCT_SIZE (handle);
+
+  for (size_t n = 0; n < n_fields; n++)
+    {
+      if (scm_is_null (inits) || scm_i_symbol_ref (layout, n*2+1) == 'h')
+        scm_struct_init_1_default (handle, n);
+      else
+        {
+          scm_struct_init_1 (handle, n, SCM_UNPACK (scm_car (inits)));
+          inits = scm_cdr (inits);
+        }
+    }
+}
 
 SCM_DEFINE (scm_struct_p, "struct?", 1, 0, 0, 
             (SCM x),
@@ -350,7 +373,7 @@ scm_c_make_structv (SCM vtable, size_t n_tail, size_t n_init, scm_t_bits *init)
   SCM_ASSERT (n_tail == 0, scm_from_size_t (n_tail), 2, FUNC_NAME);
 
   obj = scm_i_alloc_struct (SCM_UNPACK (vtable), basic_size);
-  scm_struct_init (obj, SCM_VTABLE_LAYOUT (vtable), n_init, init);
+  scm_struct_init_array (obj, SCM_VTABLE_LAYOUT (vtable), n_init, init);
 
   /* If we're making a vtable, validate its layout and inherit
      flags. However we allow for separation of allocation and
@@ -407,7 +430,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_allocate_struct, "allocate-struct", 2, 0, 0,
   SCM_ASSERT (SCM_VTABLE_SIZE (vtable) == c_nfields, nfields, 2, FUNC_NAME);
 
   ret = scm_i_alloc_struct (SCM_UNPACK (vtable), c_nfields);
-  scm_struct_init (ret, SCM_VTABLE_LAYOUT (vtable), 0, NULL);
+  scm_struct_init_array (ret, SCM_VTABLE_LAYOUT (vtable), 0, NULL);
 
   return ret;
 }
@@ -464,28 +487,23 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_make_struct_no_tail, "make-struct/no-tail", 1, 0, 1,
 	    "initialized to 0.")
 #define FUNC_NAME s_scm_make_struct_no_tail
 {
-  size_t i, n_init;
-  long ilen;
-  scm_t_bits *v;
-
   SCM_VALIDATE_VTABLE (1, vtable);
-  ilen = scm_ilength (init);
-  if (ilen < 0)
+
+  if (scm_ilength (init) < 0)
     SCM_MISC_ERROR ("Rest arguments do not form a proper list.", SCM_EOL);
   
-  n_init = (size_t)ilen;
+  SCM obj = scm_i_alloc_struct (SCM_UNPACK (vtable), SCM_VTABLE_SIZE (vtable));
+  scm_struct_init_list (obj, SCM_VTABLE_LAYOUT (vtable), init);
 
-  /* best to use alloca, but init could be big, so hack to avoid a possible
-     stack overflow */
-  if (n_init < 64)
-    v = alloca (n_init * sizeof(scm_t_bits));
-  else
-    v = scm_gc_malloc (n_init * sizeof(scm_t_bits), "struct");
+  /* If we're making a vtable, validate its layout and inherit
+     flags. However we allow for separation of allocation and
+     initialization, to humor GOOPS, so only validate if the layout was
+     passed as an initarg. */
+  if (SCM_VTABLE_FLAG_IS_SET (vtable, SCM_VTABLE_FLAG_VTABLE)
+      && scm_is_true (SCM_VTABLE_LAYOUT (obj)))
+    scm_i_struct_inherit_vtable_magic (vtable, obj);
 
-  for (i = 0; i < n_init; i++, init = SCM_CDR (init))
-    v[i] = SCM_UNPACK (SCM_CAR (init));
-
-  return scm_c_make_structv (vtable, 0, n_init, v);
+  return obj;
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME