diff --git a/base/sparse/linalg.jl b/base/sparse/linalg.jl
index 18570640c655d..f1a4ea01a1335 100644
--- a/base/sparse/linalg.jl
+++ b/base/sparse/linalg.jl
@@ -43,54 +43,77 @@ end
 
 # In matrix-vector multiplication, the correct orientation of the vector is assumed.
 
-for (f, op, transp) in ((:A_mul_B, :identity, false),
-                        (:Ac_mul_B, :ctranspose, true),
-                        (:At_mul_B, :transpose, true))
-    @eval begin
-        function $(Symbol(f,:!))(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat, β::Number, C::StridedVecOrMat)
-            if $transp
-                A.n == size(C, 1) || throw(DimensionMismatch())
-                A.m == size(B, 1) || throw(DimensionMismatch())
-            else
-                A.n == size(B, 1) || throw(DimensionMismatch())
-                A.m == size(C, 1) || throw(DimensionMismatch())
-            end
-            size(B, 2) == size(C, 2) || throw(DimensionMismatch())
-            nzv = A.nzval
-            rv = A.rowval
-            if β != 1
-                β != 0 ? scale!(C, β) : fill!(C, zero(eltype(C)))
-            end
-            for col = 1:A.n
-                for k = 1:size(C, 2)
-                    if $transp
-                        tmp = zero(eltype(C))
-                        @inbounds for j = A.colptr[col]:(A.colptr[col + 1] - 1)
-                            tmp += $(op)(nzv[j])*B[rv[j],k]
-                        end
-                        C[col,k] += α*tmp
-                    else
-                        αxj = α*B[col,k]
-                        @inbounds for j = A.colptr[col]:(A.colptr[col + 1] - 1)
-                            C[rv[j], k] += nzv[j]*αxj
-                        end
-                    end
-                end
-            end
-            C
-        end
+A_mul_B(A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat) = A_mul_B!(_argstuple_AqmulB!(A, B)...)
+At_mul_B(A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat) = At_mul_B!(_argstuple_AqmulB!(A, B)...)
+Ac_mul_B(A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat) = Ac_mul_B!(_argstuple_AqmulB!(A, B)...)
+_argstuple_AqmulB!{TvA,TB}(A::SparseMatrixCSC{TvA}, b::StridedVector{TB}) =
+    (R = promote_type(TvA, TB); (one(R), A, B, zero(R), similar(b, R, A.n)))
+_argstuple_AqmulB!{TvA,TB}(A::SparseMatrixCSC{TvA}, B::StridedMatrix{TB}) =
+    (R = promote_type(TvA, TB); (one(R), A, B, zero(R), similar(B, R, (A.n, size(B,2)))))
+
+A_mul_B!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat, β::Number, C::StridedVecOrMat) =
+    _Aq_mul_B!(α, A, identity, B, β, C)
+At_mul_B!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat, β::Number, C::StridedVecOrMat) =
+    _Aq_mul_B!(α, A, transpose, B, β, C)
+Ac_mul_B!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat, β::Number, C::StridedVecOrMat) =
+    _Aq_mul_B!(α, A, ctranspose, B, β, C)
+
+function _Aq_mul_B!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, transopA::Function,
+                    B::StridedVecOrMat, β::Number, C::StridedVecOrMat)
+    _AqmulB_checkshapecompat(A, transopA, B, C)
+    _AqmulB_specialscale!(C, β)
+    _AqmulB_kernel!(α, A, transopA, B, C)
+    return C
+end
 
-        function $(f){TA,S,Tx}(A::SparseMatrixCSC{TA,S}, x::StridedVector{Tx})
-            T = promote_type(TA, Tx)
-            $(Symbol(f,:!))(one(T), A, x, zero(T), similar(x, T, A.n))
+qtransposefntype = Union{typeof(transpose), typeof(ctranspose)}
+_AqmulB_checkshapecompat(A, ::typeof(identity), B, C) = _AqmulB_checkshapecompat(A.m, A.n, B, C)
+_AqmulB_checkshapecompat(A, ::qtransposefntype, B, C) = _AqmulB_checkshapecompat(A.n, A.m, B, C)
+function _AqmulB_checkshapecompat(Aqm, Aqn, B, C)
+    size(B, 1) == Aqn || throw(DimensionMismatch())
+    size(C, 1) == Aqm || throw(DimensionMismatch())
+    size(B, 2) == size(C, 2) || throw(DimensionMismatch())
+end
+
+_AqmulB_specialscale!(C::StridedVecOrMat, β::Number) =
+    β == 1 || (β == 0 ? fill!(C, zero(eltype(C))) : scale!(C, β))
+
+function _AqmulB_kernel!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, ::typeof(identity), B::Vector, C::Vector)
+    for colA in 1:A.n
+        αBforcolA = α * B[colA]
+        @inbounds for indA in nzrange(A, colA)
+            C[A.rowval[indA]] += A.nzval[indA] * αBforcolA
+        end
+    end
+end
+function _AqmulB_kernel!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, ::typeof(identity), B::Matrix, C::Matrix)
+    for colA in 1:A.n, colC in size(C, 2)
+        αBforcolAcolC = α * B[colA, colC]
+        @inbounds for indA in nzrange(A, colA)
+            C[A.rowval[indA], colC] += A.nzval[indA] * αBforcolAcolC
         end
-        function $(f){TA,S,Tx}(A::SparseMatrixCSC{TA,S}, B::StridedMatrix{Tx})
-            T = promote_type(TA, Tx)
-            $(Symbol(f,:!))(one(T), A, B, zero(T), similar(B, T, (A.n, size(B, 2))))
+    end
+end
+function _AqmulB_kernel!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, op::qtransposefntype, B::Vector, C::Vector)
+    for colA in 1:A.n
+        accumulator = zero(eltype(C))
+        @inbounds for indA in nzrange(A, colA)
+            accumulator += op(A.nzval[indA]) * B[A.rowval[indA]]
+        end
+        C[colA] += α * accumulator
+    end
+end
+function _AqmulB_kernel!(α::Number, A::SparseMatrixCSC, op::qtransposefntype, B::Matrix, C::Matrix)
+    for colA in 1:A.n, colC in 1:size(C, 2)
+        accumulator = zero(eltype(C))
+        @inbounds for indA in nzrange(A, colA)
+            accumulator += op(A.nzval[indA]) * B[A.rowval[indA], colC]
         end
+        C[colA, colC] += α * accumulator
     end
 end
 
+
 # For compatibility with dense multiplication API. Should be deleted when dense multiplication
 # API is updated to follow BLAS API.
 A_mul_B!(C::StridedVecOrMat, A::SparseMatrixCSC, B::StridedVecOrMat) = A_mul_B!(one(eltype(B)), A, B, zero(eltype(C)), C)