diff --git a/ext/jruby/org/jruby/ext/strscan/RubyStringScanner.java b/ext/jruby/org/jruby/ext/strscan/RubyStringScanner.java
index db33717881..1322deffa3 100644
--- a/ext/jruby/org/jruby/ext/strscan/RubyStringScanner.java
+++ b/ext/jruby/org/jruby/ext/strscan/RubyStringScanner.java
@@ -263,20 +263,17 @@ private IRubyObject extractBegLen(Ruby runtime, int beg, int len) {
     private IRubyObject scan(ThreadContext context, IRubyObject regex, boolean succptr, boolean getstr, boolean headonly) {
         final Ruby runtime = context.runtime;
         check(context);
-
-        ByteList strBL = str.getByteList();
-        int strBeg = strBL.getBegin();
-
         clearMatched();
 
         if (restLen() < 0) {
             return context.nil;
         }
 
+        ByteList strBL = str.getByteList();
+        int currPtr = currPtr();
+
         if (regex instanceof RubyRegexp) {
             pattern = ((RubyRegexp) regex).preparePattern(str);
-
-            int currPtr = currPtr();
             int range = currPtr + restLen();
 
             Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher(strBL.getUnsafeBytes(), matchTarget(), range);
@@ -300,23 +297,20 @@ private IRubyObject scan(ThreadContext context, IRubyObject regex, boolean succp
             if (ret < 0) return context.nil;
         } else {
             RubyString pattern = regex.convertToString();
-
             Encoding patternEnc = str.checkEncoding(pattern);
-
-            if (restLen() < pattern.size()) {
-                return context.nil;
-            }
-
             ByteList patternBL = pattern.getByteList();
             int patternSize = patternBL.realSize();
 
             if (headonly) {
-                if (ByteList.memcmp(strBL.unsafeBytes(), strBeg + curr, patternBL.unsafeBytes(), patternBL.begin(), patternSize) != 0) {
+                if (restLen() < pattern.size()) {
+                    return context.nil;
+                }
+                if (ByteList.memcmp(strBL.unsafeBytes(), currPtr, patternBL.unsafeBytes(), patternBL.begin(), patternSize) != 0) {
                     return context.nil;
                 }
                 setRegisters(patternSize);
             } else {
-                int pos = StringSupport.index(strBL, patternBL, strBeg + curr, patternEnc);
+                int pos = StringSupport.index(strBL, patternBL, currPtr, patternEnc);
                 if (pos == -1) {
                     return context.nil;
                 }
diff --git a/ext/strscan/strscan.c b/ext/strscan/strscan.c
index 24cc5d734e..62a7123499 100644
--- a/ext/strscan/strscan.c
+++ b/ext/strscan/strscan.c
@@ -709,19 +709,20 @@ strscan_do_scan(VALUE self, VALUE pattern, int succptr, int getstr, int headonly
     }
     else {
         StringValue(pattern);
-        rb_enc_check(p->str, pattern);
-        if (S_RESTLEN(p) < RSTRING_LEN(pattern)) {
-            return Qnil;
-        }
+        rb_encoding *enc = rb_enc_check(p->str, pattern);
 
         if (headonly) {
+            if (S_RESTLEN(p) < RSTRING_LEN(pattern)) {
+                return Qnil;
+            }
             if (memcmp(CURPTR(p), RSTRING_PTR(pattern), RSTRING_LEN(pattern)) != 0) {
                 return Qnil;
             }
             set_registers(p, RSTRING_LEN(pattern));
-        } else {
+        }
+        else {
             long pos = rb_memsearch(RSTRING_PTR(pattern), RSTRING_LEN(pattern),
-                                    CURPTR(p), S_RESTLEN(p), rb_enc_get(pattern));
+                                    CURPTR(p), S_RESTLEN(p), enc);
             if (pos == -1) {
                 return Qnil;
             }