diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsRefDatabase.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsRefDatabase.java
index e5469f6b8..5611d23be 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsRefDatabase.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsRefDatabase.java
@@ -217,10 +217,6 @@ public abstract class DfsRefDatabase extends RefDatabase {
 		else
 			detachingSymbolicRef = detach && ref.isSymbolic();
 
-		if (detachingSymbolicRef) {
-			ref = new ObjectIdRef.Unpeeled(NEW, refName, ref.getObjectId());
-		}
-
 		DfsRefUpdate update = new DfsRefUpdate(this, ref);
 		if (detachingSymbolicRef)
 			update.setDetachingSymbolicRef();
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectory.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectory.java
index e5ca73682..108065913 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectory.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectory.java
@@ -545,8 +545,6 @@ public class RefDirectory extends RefDatabase {
 			ref = new ObjectIdRef.Unpeeled(NEW, name, null);
 		else {
 			detachingSymbolicRef = detach && ref.isSymbolic();
-			if (detachingSymbolicRef)
-				ref = new ObjectIdRef.Unpeeled(LOOSE, name, ref.getObjectId());
 		}
 		RefDirectoryUpdate refDirUpdate = new RefDirectoryUpdate(this, ref);
 		if (detachingSymbolicRef)
@@ -579,7 +577,7 @@ public class RefDirectory extends RefDatabase {
 	}
 
 	void delete(RefDirectoryUpdate update) throws IOException {
-		Ref dst = update.getRef().getLeaf();
+		Ref dst = update.getRef();
 		String name = dst.getName();
 
 		// Write the packed-refs file using an atomic update. We might
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectoryUpdate.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectoryUpdate.java
index 0d16f79ea..3c1916b64 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectoryUpdate.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/RefDirectoryUpdate.java
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Repository;
 class RefDirectoryUpdate extends RefUpdate {
 	private final RefDirectory database;
 
+	private boolean shouldDeref;
 	private LockFile lock;
 
 	RefDirectoryUpdate(final RefDirectory r, final Ref ref) {
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ class RefDirectoryUpdate extends RefUpdate {
 
 	@Override
 	protected boolean tryLock(boolean deref) throws IOException {
+		shouldDeref = deref;
 		Ref dst = getRef();
 		if (deref)
 			dst = dst.getLeaf();
@@ -117,7 +119,7 @@ class RefDirectoryUpdate extends RefUpdate {
 						msg = strResult;
 				}
 			}
-			database.log(this, msg, true);
+			database.log(this, msg, shouldDeref);
 		}
 		if (!lock.commit())
 			return Result.LOCK_FAILURE;
@@ -140,7 +142,7 @@ class RefDirectoryUpdate extends RefUpdate {
 
 	@Override
 	protected Result doDelete(final Result status) throws IOException {
-		if (getRef().getLeaf().getStorage() != Ref.Storage.NEW)
+		if (getRef().getStorage() != Ref.Storage.NEW)
 			database.delete(this);
 		return status;
 	}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefUpdate.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefUpdate.java
index c1027f0f7..fc334f027 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefUpdate.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefUpdate.java
@@ -551,7 +551,9 @@ public abstract class RefUpdate {
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 */
 	public Result delete(final RevWalk walk) throws IOException {
-		final String myName = getRef().getLeaf().getName();
+		final String myName = detachingSymbolicRef
+				? getRef().getName()
+				: getRef().getLeaf().getName();
 		if (myName.startsWith(Constants.R_HEADS) && !getRepository().isBare()) {
 			// Don't allow the currently checked out branch to be deleted.
 			Ref head = getRefDatabase().getRef(Constants.HEAD);
@@ -628,7 +630,10 @@ public abstract class RefUpdate {
 		if (oldValue == null && checkConflicting && getRefDatabase().isNameConflicting(getName()))
 			return Result.LOCK_FAILURE;
 		try {
-			if (!tryLock(true))
+			// If we're detaching a symbolic reference, we should update the reference
+			// itself. Otherwise, we will update the leaf reference, which should be
+			// an ObjectIdRef.
+			if (!tryLock(!detachingSymbolicRef))
 				return Result.LOCK_FAILURE;
 			if (expValue != null) {
 				final ObjectId o;