diff --git a/docs/classes.rst b/docs/classes.rst
index db4dc427f..9fc69744d 100644
--- a/docs/classes.rst
+++ b/docs/classes.rst
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ different kinds of input arguments:
 Attempting to bind ``Pet::set`` will cause an error since the compiler does not
 know which method the user intended to select. We can disambiguate by casting
 them to function pointers. Binding multiple functions to the same Python name
-automatically creates a chain of fucnction overloads that will be tried in
+automatically creates a chain of function overloads that will be tried in
 sequence.
 
 .. code-block:: cpp
diff --git a/include/pybind11/cast.h b/include/pybind11/cast.h
index a813252c7..a6f45efc4 100644
--- a/include/pybind11/cast.h
+++ b/include/pybind11/cast.h
@@ -18,12 +18,6 @@
 NAMESPACE_BEGIN(pybind11)
 NAMESPACE_BEGIN(detail)
 
-#if defined(_MSC_VER)
-#define NOINLINE __declspec(noinline)
-#else
-#define NOINLINE __attribute__ ((noinline))
-#endif
-
 #if PY_MAJOR_VERSION >= 3
 #define PYBIND11_AS_STRING PyBytes_AsString
 #else
@@ -44,35 +38,35 @@ public:
 
     descr() { }
     descr(descr &&d) : first(d.first), last(d.last) { d.first = d.last = nullptr; }
-    NOINLINE descr(const char *str) { first = last = new entry { str }; }
-    NOINLINE descr(const std::type_info &type) { first = last = new entry { &type }; }
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE descr(const char *str) { first = last = new entry { str }; }
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE descr(const std::type_info &type) { first = last = new entry { &type }; }
 
-    NOINLINE void operator+(const char *str) {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE void operator+(const char *str) {
         entry *next = new entry { str };
         last->next = next;
         last = next;
     }
 
-    NOINLINE void operator+(const std::type_info *type) {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE void operator+(const std::type_info *type) {
         entry *next = new entry { type };
         last->next = next;
         last = next;
     }
 
-    NOINLINE void operator+=(descr &&other) {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE void operator+=(descr &&other) {
         last->next = other.first;
         while (last->next)
             last = last->next;
         other.first = other.last = nullptr;
     }
 
-    NOINLINE friend descr operator+(descr &&l, descr &&r) {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE friend descr operator+(descr &&l, descr &&r) {
         descr result(std::move(l));
         result += std::move(r);
         return result;
     }
 
-    NOINLINE std::string str() const {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE std::string str() const {
         std::string result;
         auto const& registered_types = get_internals().registered_types;
         for (entry *it = first; it != nullptr; it = it->next) {
@@ -92,7 +86,7 @@ public:
         return result;
     }
 
-    NOINLINE ~descr() {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE ~descr() {
         while (first) {
             entry *tmp = first->next;
             delete first;
@@ -104,27 +98,20 @@ public:
     entry *last = nullptr;
 };
 
-#undef NOINLINE
-
-/// Generic type caster for objects stored on the heap
-template <typename type> class type_caster {
+class type_caster_custom {
 public:
-    typedef instance<type> instance_type;
-
-    static descr name() { return typeid(type); }
-
-    type_caster() {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE type_caster_custom(const std::type_info *type_info) {
         auto const& registered_types = get_internals().registered_types;
-        auto it = registered_types.find(&typeid(type));
+        auto it = registered_types.find(type_info);
         if (it != registered_types.end())
             typeinfo = &it->second;
     }
 
-    bool load(PyObject *src, bool convert) {
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE bool load(PyObject *src, bool convert) {
         if (src == nullptr || typeinfo == nullptr)
             return false;
         if (PyType_IsSubtype(Py_TYPE(src), typeinfo->type)) {
-            value = ((instance_type *) src)->value;
+            value = ((instance<void> *) src)->value;
             return true;
         }
         if (convert) {
@@ -137,14 +124,9 @@ public:
         return false;
     }
 
-    static PyObject *cast(const type &src, return_value_policy policy, PyObject *parent) {
-        if (policy == return_value_policy::automatic)
-            policy = return_value_policy::copy;
-        return cast(&src, policy, parent);
-    }
-
-    static PyObject *cast(const type *_src, return_value_policy policy, PyObject *parent) {
-        type *src = const_cast<type *>(_src);
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE static PyObject *cast(const void *_src, return_value_policy policy, PyObject *parent,
+                                            const std::type_info *type_info, void *(*copy_constructor)(const void *)) {
+        void *src = const_cast<void *>(_src);
         if (src == nullptr) {
             Py_INCREF(Py_None);
             return Py_None;
@@ -159,61 +141,72 @@ public:
             Py_INCREF(inst);
             return inst;
         }
-        auto it = internals.registered_types.find(&typeid(type));
+        auto it = internals.registered_types.find(type_info);
         if (it == internals.registered_types.end()) {
-            std::string msg = std::string("Unregistered type : ") + type_id<type>();
+            std::string msg = std::string("Unregistered type : ") + type_info->name();
+            detail::clean_type_id(msg);
             PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, msg.c_str());
             return nullptr;
         }
-        auto &type_info = it->second;
-        instance_type *inst = (instance_type *) PyType_GenericAlloc(type_info.type, 0);
+        auto &reg_type = it->second;
+        instance<void> *inst = (instance<void> *) PyType_GenericAlloc(reg_type.type, 0);
         inst->value = src;
         inst->owned = true;
         inst->parent = nullptr;
         if (policy == return_value_policy::automatic)
             policy = return_value_policy::take_ownership;
-        handle_return_value_policy<type>(inst, policy, parent);
+        if (policy == return_value_policy::copy) {
+            inst->value = copy_constructor(inst->value);
+            if (inst->value == nullptr)
+                throw cast_error("return_value_policy = copy, but the object is non-copyable!");
+        } else if (policy == return_value_policy::reference) {
+            inst->owned = false;
+        } else if (policy == return_value_policy::reference_internal) {
+            inst->owned = false;
+            inst->parent = parent;
+            Py_XINCREF(parent);
+        }
         PyObject *inst_pyobj = (PyObject *) inst;
-        type_info.init_holder(inst_pyobj);
+        reg_type.init_holder(inst_pyobj);
         if (!dont_cache)
             internals.registered_instances[inst->value] = inst_pyobj;
         return inst_pyobj;
     }
 
-    template <class T, typename std::enable_if<std::is_copy_constructible<T>::value, int>::type = 0>
-    static void handle_return_value_policy(instance<T> *inst, return_value_policy policy, PyObject *parent) {
-        if (policy == return_value_policy::copy) {
-            inst->value = new T(*(inst->value));
-        } else if (policy == return_value_policy::reference) {
-            inst->owned = false;
-        } else if (policy == return_value_policy::reference_internal) {
-            inst->owned = false;
-            inst->parent = parent;
-            Py_XINCREF(parent);
-        }
-    }
-
-    template <class T, typename std::enable_if<!std::is_copy_constructible<T>::value, int>::type = 0>
-    static void handle_return_value_policy(instance<T> *inst, return_value_policy policy, PyObject *parent) {
-        if (policy == return_value_policy::copy) {
-            throw cast_error("return_value_policy = copy, but the object is non-copyable!");
-        } else if (policy == return_value_policy::reference) {
-            inst->owned = false;
-        } else if (policy == return_value_policy::reference_internal) {
-            inst->owned = false;
-            inst->parent = parent;
-            Py_XINCREF(parent);
-        }
-    }
-
-    operator type*() { return value; }
-    operator type&() { return *value; }
 protected:
-    type *value = nullptr;
     const type_info *typeinfo = nullptr;
+    void *value = nullptr;
     object temp;
 };
 
+/// Generic type caster for objects stored on the heap
+template <typename type> class type_caster : public type_caster_custom {
+public:
+    static descr name() { return typeid(type); }
+
+    type_caster() : type_caster_custom(&typeid(type)) { }
+
+    static PyObject *cast(const type &src, return_value_policy policy, PyObject *parent) {
+        if (policy == return_value_policy::automatic)
+            policy = return_value_policy::copy;
+        return type_caster_custom::cast(&src, policy, parent, &typeid(type), &copy_constructor);
+    }
+
+    static PyObject *cast(const type *src, return_value_policy policy, PyObject *parent) {
+        return type_caster_custom::cast(src, policy, parent, &typeid(type), &copy_constructor);
+    }
+
+    operator type*() { return (type *) value; }
+    operator type&() { return (type &) *value; }
+protected:
+    template <typename T = type, typename std::enable_if<std::is_copy_constructible<T>::value, int>::type = 0>
+    static void *copy_constructor(const void *arg) {
+        return new type((const type &)*arg);
+    }
+    template <typename T = type, typename std::enable_if<!std::is_copy_constructible<T>::value, int>::type = 0>
+    static void *copy_constructor(const void *) { return nullptr; }
+};
+
 #define PYBIND11_TYPE_CASTER(type, py_name) \
     protected: \
         type value; \
@@ -516,7 +509,7 @@ public:
     bool load(PyObject *src, bool convert) {
         if (!parent::load(src, convert))
             return false;
-        holder = holder_type(parent::value);
+        holder = holder_type((type *) parent::value);
         return true;
     }
     explicit operator type*() { return this->value; }
diff --git a/include/pybind11/common.h b/include/pybind11/common.h
index bfa8c4a44..0bbf5ee9c 100644
--- a/include/pybind11/common.h
+++ b/include/pybind11/common.h
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@
 #define PYBIND11_EXPORT __attribute__ ((visibility("default")))
 #endif
 #endif
+#if defined(_MSC_VER)
+#define PYBIND11_NOINLINE __declspec(noinline)
+#else
+#define PYBIND11_NOINLINE __attribute__ ((noinline))
+#endif
+
 
 #include <vector>
 #include <string>