diff --git a/include/boost/function/function_template.hpp b/include/boost/function/function_template.hpp
index e02b9bd..6a99109 100644
--- a/include/boost/function/function_template.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/function/function_template.hpp
@@ -625,14 +625,10 @@ namespace boost {
         assign_to(const reference_wrapper<FunctionObj>& f, 
                   function_buffer& functor, function_obj_ref_tag)
         {
-          if (!boost::detail::function::has_empty_target(f.get_pointer())) {
-            functor.obj_ref.obj_ptr = (void *)f.get_pointer();
-            functor.obj_ref.is_const_qualified = is_const<FunctionObj>::value;
-            functor.obj_ref.is_volatile_qualified = is_volatile<FunctionObj>::value;
-            return true;
-          } else {
-            return false;
-          }
+          functor.obj_ref.obj_ptr = (void *)f.get_pointer();
+          functor.obj_ref.is_const_qualified = is_const<FunctionObj>::value;
+          functor.obj_ref.is_volatile_qualified = is_volatile<FunctionObj>::value;
+          return true;
         }
         template<typename FunctionObj,typename Allocator>
         bool 
diff --git a/test/function_test.cpp b/test/function_test.cpp
index 9870ac7..faf4bfb 100644
--- a/test/function_test.cpp
+++ b/test/function_test.cpp
@@ -629,6 +629,30 @@ test_ref()
   }
 }
 
+static void dummy() {}
+
+static void test_empty_ref()
+{
+  boost::function<void()> f1;
+  boost::function<void()> f2(boost::ref(f1));
+
+  try {
+    f2();
+    BOOST_ERROR("Exception didn't throw for reference to empty function.");
+  }
+  catch(runtime_error e) {}
+
+  f1 = dummy;
+
+  try {
+    f2();
+  }
+  catch(runtime_error e) {
+    BOOST_ERROR("Error calling referenced function.");
+  }
+}
+
+
 static void test_exception()
 {
   boost::function<int (int, int)> f;
@@ -674,6 +698,7 @@ int test_main(int, char* [])
   test_emptiness();
   test_member_functions();
   test_ref();
+  test_empty_ref();
   test_exception();
   test_implicit();
   test_call();