diff --git a/src/k_smallest.rs b/src/k_smallest.rs
index ab7f19c86..ca99a41c7 100644
--- a/src/k_smallest.rs
+++ b/src/k_smallest.rs
@@ -1,19 +1,18 @@
 use alloc::vec::IntoIter;
 use core::cmp::{Ord, Ordering, Reverse};
-use core::mem::{replace, transmute, MaybeUninit};
-use core::ops::Range;
+use core::mem::replace;
 
-fn k_smallest_dynamic<T, I: Iterator<Item = T>>(
+/// Consumes a given iterator, leaving the minimum elements in the provided storage in **ascending** order.
+fn k_smallest_general<T, I: Iterator<Item = T>>(
     iter: I,
     k: usize,
     order: impl Fn(&T, &T) -> Ordering,
 ) -> IntoIter<T> {
-    let mut storage = Vec::new();
-    storage.resize_with(k, MaybeUninit::uninit);
-    let Range { end, .. } = capped_heapsort(iter, &mut storage, order);
-    storage.truncate(end);
-    let initialized: Vec<_> = unsafe { transmute(storage) };
-    initialized.into_iter()
+    if k == 0 {
+        return Vec::new().into_iter();
+    }
+    let heap = MaxHeap::from_iter(k, order, iter);
+    heap.unwrap_sorted().into_iter()
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn reverse_cmp<T, F>(cmp: F) -> impl Fn(&T, &T) -> Ordering
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ where
     T: Ord,
     I: Iterator<Item = T>,
 {
-    k_smallest_dynamic(iter, k, T::cmp)
+    k_smallest_general(iter, k, T::cmp)
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn k_smallest_by<T, I, F>(iter: I, k: usize, cmp: F) -> IntoIter<T>
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@ where
     I: Iterator<Item = T>,
     F: Fn(&T, &T) -> Ordering,
 {
-    k_smallest_dynamic(iter, k, cmp)
+    k_smallest_general(iter, k, cmp)
 }
 
 pub(crate) fn k_smallest_by_key<T, I, F, K>(iter: I, k: usize, key: F) -> IntoIter<T>
@@ -54,75 +53,54 @@ where
 {
     let iter = iter.map(|v| Pair(key(&v), v));
 
-    let results: Vec<_> = k_smallest_dynamic(iter, k, Ord::cmp)
+    let results: Vec<_> = k_smallest_general(iter, k, Ord::cmp)
         .map(|Pair(_, t)| t)
         .collect();
     results.into_iter()
 }
 
-/// Consumes a given iterator, leaving the minimum elements in the provided storage in **ascending** order.
-/// Returns the range of initialized elements
-fn capped_heapsort<T, I: Iterator<Item = T>>(
-    iter: I,
-    storage: &mut [MaybeUninit<T>],
-    order: impl Fn(&T, &T) -> Ordering,
-) -> Range<usize> {
-    if storage.is_empty() {
-        return 0..0;
-    }
-    let mut heap = MaxHeap::from_iter(storage, order, iter);
-
-    let valid_elements = 0..heap.len;
-    while heap.len > 0 {
-        heap.pop();
-    }
-    valid_elements
-}
-
 /// An efficient heapsort requires that the heap ordering is the inverse of the desired sort order
 /// So the basic case of retrieving minimum elements requires a max heap
 ///
 /// This type does not attempt to reproduce all the functionality of [std::collections::BinaryHeap] and instead only implements what is needed for iter operations,
 /// e.g. we do not need to insert single elements.
 /// Additionally, some minor optimizations used in the std BinaryHeap are not used here, e.g. elements are actually swapped rather than managing a "hole"
-///
-/// To be generic over the underlying storage, it takes a mutable reference to avoid having to define a storage trait.
-struct MaxHeap<'a, T, C> {
+struct MaxHeap<T, C> {
     // It may be not be possible to shrink the storage for smaller sequencess
     // so manually manage the initialization
     // This is **assumed not to be empty**
-    storage: &'a mut [MaybeUninit<T>],
+    storage: alloc::vec::Vec<T>,
     comparator: C,
-    // SAFETY: this must always be less or equal to the count of actually initialized elements
+    // this is always less or equal to the count of actual elements
+    // allowing it to be less means the heap property can cover only a subset of the vec
+    // while reusing the storage
     len: usize,
 }
 
-impl<'a, T, C> MaxHeap<'a, T, C>
+impl<T, C> MaxHeap<T, C>
 where
     C: Fn(&T, &T) -> Ordering,
 {
-    fn from_iter<I>(storage: &'a mut [MaybeUninit<T>], comparator: C, mut iter: I) -> Self
+    fn from_iter<I>(k: usize, comparator: C, mut iter: I) -> Self
     where
         I: Iterator<Item = T>,
     {
+        let storage: Vec<T> = iter.by_ref().take(k).collect();
+
         let mut heap = Self {
+            len: storage.len(),
             storage,
             comparator,
-            len: 0,
         };
-        for (i, initial_item) in iter.by_ref().take(heap.storage.len()).enumerate() {
-            heap.storage[i] = MaybeUninit::new(initial_item);
-            heap.len += 1;
-        }
         // Filling up the storage and only afterwards rearranging to form a valid heap is slightly more efficient
         // (But only by a factor of lg(k) and I'd love to hear of a usecase where that matters)
         heap.heapify();
 
-        if heap.len == heap.storage.len() {
+        if k == heap.storage.len() {
             // Nothing else needs done if we didn't fill the storage in the first place
             // Also avoids unexpected behaviour with restartable iterators
             for val in iter {
-                let _ = heap.push_pop(val);
+                heap.push_pop(val);
             }
         }
         heap
@@ -133,11 +111,7 @@ where
     /// element ordering.
     fn get(&self, index: usize) -> Option<&T> {
         if index < self.len {
-            let ptr = unsafe {
-                // There might be a better way to do this but assume_init_ref doesn't exist on MSRV
-                self.storage[index].as_ptr().as_ref().unwrap()
-            };
-            Some(ptr)
+            self.storage.get(index)
         } else {
             None
         }
@@ -168,7 +142,6 @@ where
         let (original_item, replacement_item) = (self.get(origin), self.get(replacement_idx));
 
         let cmp = self.compare(original_item, replacement_item);
-        // If the left item also doesn't exist, this comparison will fall through
         if Some(Ordering::Less) == cmp {
             self.storage.swap(origin, replacement_idx);
             self.sift_down(replacement_idx);
@@ -188,17 +161,13 @@ where
 
     /// Insert the given element into the heap without changing its size
     /// The displaced element is returned, i.e. either the input or previous max
-    fn push_pop(&mut self, val: T) -> Option<T> {
+    fn push_pop(&mut self, val: T) -> T {
         if self.compare(self.get(0), Some(&val)) == Some(Ordering::Greater) {
-            let out = replace(&mut self.storage[0], MaybeUninit::new(val));
+            let out = replace(&mut self.storage[0], val);
             self.sift_down(0);
-            // SAFETY: This has been moved out of storage[0]
-            // storage[0] will be uninitialized if and only if self.len == 0
-            // In that case, self.get(0) above will return None, and the comparison will fall through to None
-            // So to get here, self.len > 0 and therefore this element was initialized
-            unsafe { Some(out.assume_init()) }
+            out
         } else {
-            Some(val)
+            val
         }
     }
 
@@ -213,6 +182,14 @@ where
     fn compare(&self, a: Option<&T>, b: Option<&T>) -> Option<Ordering> {
         (self.comparator)(a?, b?).into()
     }
+
+    // Totally orders the elements and returns the raw storage
+    fn unwrap_sorted(mut self) -> Vec<T> {
+        while self.len > 1 {
+            self.pop();
+        }
+        self.storage
+    }
 }
 
 struct Pair<K, T>(K, T);