diff --git a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/dispatch/ActorModelSpec.scala b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/dispatch/ActorModelSpec.scala
index 9ff7ee86fb..b57a0687e3 100644
--- a/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/dispatch/ActorModelSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-actor-tests/src/test/scala/akka/actor/dispatch/ActorModelSpec.scala
@@ -350,17 +350,21 @@ abstract class ActorModelSpec extends AkkaSpec {
           assertCountDown(cachedMessage.latch, waitTime, "Counting down from " + num)
         } catch {
           case e ⇒
-            val buddies = dispatcher.asInstanceOf[BalancingDispatcher].buddies
-            val mq = dispatcher.asInstanceOf[BalancingDispatcher].messageQueue
+            dispatcher match {
+              case dispatcher: BalancingDispatcher ⇒
+                val buddies = dispatcher.buddies
+                val mq = dispatcher.messageQueue
 
-            System.err.println("Buddies left: ")
-            buddies.toArray foreach {
-              case cell: ActorCell ⇒
-                System.err.println(" - " + cell.self.path + " " + cell.isShutdown + " " + cell.mailbox.status + " " + cell.mailbox.numberOfMessages + " " + SystemMessage.size(cell.mailbox.systemDrain()))
+                System.err.println("Buddies left: ")
+                buddies.toArray foreach {
+                  case cell: ActorCell ⇒
+                    System.err.println(" - " + cell.self.path + " " + cell.isShutdown + " " + cell.mailbox.status + " " + cell.mailbox.numberOfMessages + " " + SystemMessage.size(cell.mailbox.systemDrain()))
+                }
+
+                System.err.println("Mailbox: " + mq.numberOfMessages + " " + mq.hasMessages + " ")
+              case _ =>
             }
 
-            System.err.println("Mailbox: " + mq.numberOfMessages + " " + mq.hasMessages + " ")
-
             throw e
         }
         assertCountDown(stopLatch, waitTime, "Expected all children to stop")
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/java/akka/dispatch/AbstractMailbox.java b/akka-actor/src/main/java/akka/dispatch/AbstractMailbox.java
index 0f37dec003..80cc4c9675 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/java/akka/dispatch/AbstractMailbox.java
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/java/akka/dispatch/AbstractMailbox.java
@@ -4,15 +4,18 @@
 
 package akka.dispatch;
 
-import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicIntegerFieldUpdater;
-import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReferenceFieldUpdater;
+import akka.util.Unsafe;
 
-abstract class AbstractMailbox {
-    private volatile int _status; // not initialized because this is faster: 0 == Open
-    protected final static AtomicIntegerFieldUpdater<AbstractMailbox> updater =
-      AtomicIntegerFieldUpdater.newUpdater(AbstractMailbox.class, "_status");
+final class AbstractMailbox {
+    final static long mailboxStatusOffset;
+    final static long systemMessageOffset;
 
-    private volatile SystemMessage _systemQueue; // not initialized because this is faster
-    protected final static AtomicReferenceFieldUpdater<AbstractMailbox, SystemMessage> systemQueueUpdater =
-      AtomicReferenceFieldUpdater.newUpdater(AbstractMailbox.class, SystemMessage.class, "_systemQueue");
+    static {
+        try {
+          mailboxStatusOffset = Unsafe.instance.objectFieldOffset(Mailbox.class.getDeclaredField("_status"));
+          systemMessageOffset = Unsafe.instance.objectFieldOffset(Mailbox.class.getDeclaredField("_systemQueue"));
+        } catch(Throwable t){
+            throw new ExceptionInInitializerError(t);
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala
index 95fbffe81c..2c5d43c906 100644
--- a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/dispatch/Mailbox.scala
@@ -36,11 +36,17 @@ object Mailbox {
 /**
  * @author <a href="http://jonasboner.com">Jonas Bon&#233;r</a>
  */
-abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell) extends AbstractMailbox with MessageQueue with SystemMessageQueue with Runnable {
+abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell) extends MessageQueue with SystemMessageQueue with Runnable {
   import Mailbox._
 
+  @volatile
+  protected var _status: Status = _ //0 by default
+
+  @volatile
+  protected var _systemQueue: SystemMessage = _ //null by default
+
   @inline
-  final def status: Mailbox.Status = AbstractMailbox.updater.get(this)
+  final def status: Mailbox.Status = _status
 
   @inline
   final def shouldProcessMessage: Boolean = (status & 3) == Open
@@ -56,11 +62,11 @@ abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell) extends AbstractMailbox with Messag
 
   @inline
   protected final def updateStatus(oldStatus: Status, newStatus: Status): Boolean =
-    AbstractMailbox.updater.compareAndSet(this, oldStatus, newStatus)
+    Unsafe.instance.compareAndSwapInt(this, AbstractMailbox.mailboxStatusOffset, oldStatus, newStatus)
+  //AbstractMailbox.updater.compareAndSet(this, oldStatus, newStatus)
 
   @inline
-  protected final def setStatus(newStatus: Status): Unit =
-    AbstractMailbox.updater.set(this, newStatus)
+  protected final def setStatus(newStatus: Status): Unit = _status = newStatus
 
   /**
    * set new primary status Open. Caller does not need to worry about whether
@@ -125,8 +131,9 @@ abstract class Mailbox(val actor: ActorCell) extends AbstractMailbox with Messag
   /*
    * AtomicReferenceFieldUpdater for system queue
    */
-  protected final def systemQueueGet: SystemMessage = AbstractMailbox.systemQueueUpdater.get(this)
-  protected final def systemQueuePut(_old: SystemMessage, _new: SystemMessage): Boolean = AbstractMailbox.systemQueueUpdater.compareAndSet(this, _old, _new)
+  protected final def systemQueueGet: SystemMessage = _systemQueue
+  protected final def systemQueuePut(_old: SystemMessage, _new: SystemMessage): Boolean = //AbstractMailbox.systemQueueUpdater.compareAndSet(this, _old, _new)
+    Unsafe.instance.compareAndSwapObject(this, AbstractMailbox.systemMessageOffset, _old, _new)
 
   final def canBeScheduledForExecution(hasMessageHint: Boolean, hasSystemMessageHint: Boolean): Boolean = status match {
     case Open | Scheduled ⇒ hasMessageHint || hasSystemMessageHint || hasSystemMessages || hasMessages
diff --git a/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/Unsafe.java b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/Unsafe.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4449f045be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-actor/src/main/scala/akka/util/Unsafe.java
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2011 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+
+
+package akka.util;
+
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+
+public final class Unsafe {
+    public final static sun.misc.Unsafe instance;
+    static {
+        try {
+            Field field = sun.misc.Unsafe.class.getDeclaredField("theUnsafe");
+            field.setAccessible(true);
+            instance = (sun.misc.Unsafe) field.get(null);
+        } catch(Throwable t) {
+          throw new ExceptionInInitializerError(t);
+        }
+    }
+}