diff --git a/archival/dpkg_deb.c b/archival/dpkg_deb.c
index c46739553..7ce637e5e 100644
--- a/archival/dpkg_deb.c
+++ b/archival/dpkg_deb.c
@@ -29,13 +29,6 @@ extern int dpkg_deb_main(int argc, char **argv)
 #ifndef CONFIG_FEATURE_DPKG_DEB_EXTRACT_ONLY
 	const llist_t *control_tar_llist = NULL;
 #endif
-#ifndef CONFIG_AR
-	char magic[7];
-#endif
-	
-	/* a .deb file is an ar archive that contain three files,
-	 * data.tar.gz, control.tar.gz and debian
-	 */
 	
 	/* Setup the tar archive handle */
 	tar_archive = init_handle();
@@ -104,17 +97,7 @@ extern int dpkg_deb_main(int argc, char **argv)
 	mkdir(argv[optind], 0777);
 	chdir(argv[optind]);
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_AR
 	unpack_ar_archive(ar_archive);
-#else
-	xread_all(ar_archive->src_fd, magic, 7);
-	if (strncmp(magic, "!<arch>", 7) != 0) {
-		error_msg_and_die("Invalid ar magic");
-	}
-	ar_archive->offset += 7;
-
-	while (get_header_ar(ar_archive) == EXIT_SUCCESS);
-#endif
 
 	/* Cleanup */
 	close (ar_archive->src_fd);
diff --git a/archival/libunarchive/filter_accept_list_reassign.c b/archival/libunarchive/filter_accept_list_reassign.c
index fa294c70a..d9bee79d7 100644
--- a/archival/libunarchive/filter_accept_list_reassign.c
+++ b/archival/libunarchive/filter_accept_list_reassign.c
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ extern char filter_accept_list_reassign(archive_handle_t *archive_handle)
 #ifdef CONFIG_FEATURE_DEB_TAR_BZ2
 		if (strcmp(name_ptr, ".bz2") == 0) {
 			archive_handle->sub_archive->read = read_bz2;
-//			BZ2_bzReadOpen(archive_handle->sub_archive->src_fd, NULL, 0);
 			BZ2_bzReadOpen(archive_handle->src_fd, NULL, 0);
 			archive_handle->action_data_subarchive = get_header_tar;
 			return(EXIT_SUCCESS);
diff --git a/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_bz2.c b/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_bz2.c
index 4e47166f0..b49ccae18 100644
--- a/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_bz2.c
+++ b/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_bz2.c
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ extern char get_header_tar_bz2(archive_handle_t *archive_handle)
 {
 	BZ2_bzReadOpen(archive_handle->src_fd, NULL, 0);
 
+	archive_handle->read = read_bz2;
+	archive_handle->seek = seek_by_char;
+
 	archive_handle->offset = 0;
 	while (get_header_tar(archive_handle) == EXIT_SUCCESS);
 
diff --git a/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_gz.c b/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_gz.c
index f0d4b1359..f77b775d3 100644
--- a/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_gz.c
+++ b/archival/libunarchive/get_header_tar_gz.c
@@ -28,8 +28,9 @@ extern char get_header_tar_gz(archive_handle_t *archive_handle)
 	int fd_pipe[2];
 	int pid;
 	unsigned char magic[2];
-	
+
 	/* Cant lseek over pipe's */
+	archive_handle->read = read;
 	archive_handle->seek = seek_by_char;
 
 	archive_xread_all(archive_handle, &magic, 2);
diff --git a/archival/tar.c b/archival/tar.c
index 01ec90c6f..f9711f8df 100644
--- a/archival/tar.c
+++ b/archival/tar.c
@@ -685,7 +685,7 @@ int tar_main(int argc, char **argv)
 #endif
 #ifdef CONFIG_FEATURE_TAR_BZIP2
 		case 'j':
-			tar_handle->read = read_bz2;
+			get_header_ptr = get_header_tar_bz2;
 			break;
 #endif
 		default:
@@ -738,21 +738,9 @@ int tar_main(int argc, char **argv)
 			tar_handle->src_fd = fileno(stdin);
 			tar_handle->seek = seek_by_char;
 		} else {
-			tar_handle->seek = seek_by_jump;
 			tar_handle->src_fd = xopen(tar_filename, O_RDONLY);
 		}
-#ifdef CONFIG_FEATURE_TAR_GZIP
-		if (get_header_ptr == get_header_tar_gz) {
-			get_header_tar_gz(tar_handle);
-		} else
-#endif /* CONFIG_FEATURE_TAR_GZIP */
-#ifdef CONFIG_FEATURE_TAR_BZIP2
-		if (tar_handle->read == read_bz2) {
-			get_header_tar_bz2(tar_handle);
-		} else
-#endif /* CONFIG_FEATURE_TAR_BZIP2 */
-
-			while (get_header_tar(tar_handle) == EXIT_SUCCESS);
+		while (get_header_ptr(tar_handle) == EXIT_SUCCESS);
 
 		/* Ckeck that every file that should have been extracted was */
 		while (tar_handle->accept) {