diff --git a/base/coreimg.jl b/base/coreimg.jl
index e960008ff34a4..829d371cbd595 100644
--- a/base/coreimg.jl
+++ b/base/coreimg.jl
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ include("options.jl")
 typealias Cint Int32
 typealias Csize_t UInt
 include("promotion.jl")
+include("expr.jl")
 include("tuple.jl")
 include("range.jl")
-include("expr.jl")
 include("error.jl")
 
 # core numeric operations & types
diff --git a/base/deprecated.jl b/base/deprecated.jl
index df4a5a144f831..b9e080dc1573f 100644
--- a/base/deprecated.jl
+++ b/base/deprecated.jl
@@ -403,8 +403,6 @@ end
 
 @deprecate with_env(f::Function, key::AbstractString, val) withenv(f, key=>val)
 
-@deprecate ntuple(n::Integer, f::Function) ntuple(f, n)
-
 # 0.4 discontinued functions
 
 @noinline function subtypetree(x::DataType, level=-1)
@@ -841,4 +839,4 @@ for f in (:remotecall, :remotecall_fetch, :remotecall_wait)
         @deprecate ($f)(w::Worker, f::Function, args...)          ($f)(f, w::Worker, args...)
         @deprecate ($f)(id::Integer, f::Function, args...)        ($f)(f, id::Integer, args...)
     end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/base/inference.jl b/base/inference.jl
index fc190395ebb30..f7293c63b7164 100644
--- a/base/inference.jl
+++ b/base/inference.jl
@@ -458,6 +458,9 @@ const apply_type_tfunc = function (A, args...)
 end
 add_tfunc(apply_type, 1, IInf, apply_type_tfunc)
 
+## external tfunc additions ##
+add_tfunc(ntuple, 2, 2, _ntuple_tfunc)
+
 function tuple_tfunc(argtype::ANY)
     if isa(argtype,DataType) && argtype.name === Tuple.name
         p = map(x->(isType(x) && !isa(x.parameters[1],TypeVar) ? typeof(x.parameters[1]) : x),
diff --git a/base/sysimg.jl b/base/sysimg.jl
index c555a41cf6d6c..caf504af99253 100644
--- a/base/sysimg.jl
+++ b/base/sysimg.jl
@@ -35,9 +35,9 @@ include("options.jl")
 
 # core operations & types
 include("promotion.jl")
+include("expr.jl")
 include("tuple.jl")
 include("range.jl")
-include("expr.jl")
 include("error.jl")
 
 # core numeric operations & types
diff --git a/base/tuple.jl b/base/tuple.jl
index 270f44e9e4f71..8c507ebab431b 100644
--- a/base/tuple.jl
+++ b/base/tuple.jl
@@ -29,29 +29,43 @@ eltype{T,_}(::Type{NTuple{_,T}}) = T
 
 ## mapping ##
 
-ntuple(f::Function, n::Integer) =
+const ntuple = function(f, n::Integer)
     n<=0 ? () :
     n==1 ? (f(1),) :
     n==2 ? (f(1),f(2),) :
     n==3 ? (f(1),f(2),f(3),) :
-    n==4 ? (f(1),f(2),f(3),f(4),) :
-    n==5 ? (f(1),f(2),f(3),f(4),f(5),) :
-    tuple(ntuple(f,n-5)..., f(n-4), f(n-3), f(n-2), f(n-1), f(n))
-
-ntuple(f, ::Type{Val{0}}) = ()
-ntuple(f, ::Type{Val{1}}) = (f(1),)
-ntuple(f, ::Type{Val{2}}) = (f(1),f(2))
-ntuple(f, ::Type{Val{3}}) = (f(1),f(2),f(3))
-ntuple(f, ::Type{Val{4}}) = (f(1),f(2),f(3),f(4))
-ntuple(f, ::Type{Val{5}}) = (f(1),f(2),f(3),f(4),f(5))
-@generated function ntuple{N}(f, ::Type{Val{N}})
-    if !isa(N,Int)
-        :(throw(TypeError(:ntuple, "", Int, $(QuoteNode(N)))))
+    tuple([f(i) for i = 1:Int(n)]...)
+end
+
+const _ntuple_tfunc_gensym = gensym()
+const _ntuple_tfunc = function(argtypes, argexprs, vtypes, sv)
+    n = false
+    if isa(argexprs[2], Integer)
+        try
+            n = Int(argexprs[2])
+        end
+    end
+
+    Core.Inference.setindex!(vtypes,
+        Core.Inference.call(Core.Inference.VarState, Int, false),
+        _ntuple_tfunc_gensym)
+    F = Core.Inference.abstract_eval_call(
+        Expr(:call, argexprs[1], _ntuple_tfunc_gensym),
+        vtypes, sv)
+    Core.Inference.delete!(vtypes,
+        _ntuple_tfunc_gensym)
+
+    if isa(n, Int)
+        return NTuple{n, F}
+    elseif F === Any
+        return Tuple
     else
-        M = N-5
-        :(tuple(ntuple(f, Val{$M})..., f($N-4), f($N-3), f($N-2), f($N-1), f($N)))
+        return Tuple{Vararg{F}}
     end
 end
+if isdefined(Core, :Inference) && isdefined(Core.Inference, :add_tfunc)
+    Core.Inference.add_tfunc(ntuple, 2, 2, _ntuple_tfunc)
+end
 
 # 0 argument function
 map(f) = f()
diff --git a/test/tuple.jl b/test/tuple.jl
index 7412850ba4abe..c4a4dda8e4e8c 100644
--- a/test/tuple.jl
+++ b/test/tuple.jl
@@ -145,12 +145,14 @@ foo(x, y, z) = x + y + z
 @test any((true,true,false)) === true
 @test any((true,true,true)) === true
 
-@test @inferred(ntuple(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{0})) == ()
-@test @inferred(ntuple(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{2})) == (1, 4)
-@test @inferred(ntuple(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{3})) == (1, 4, 9)
-@test @inferred(ntuple(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{4})) == (1, 4, 9, 16)
-@test @inferred(ntuple(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{5})) == (1, 4, 9, 16, 25)
-@test @inferred(ntuple(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{6})) == (1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36)
+ntuple_val{T}(x, ::Type{Val{T}}) = ntuple(x, T)
+@test @inferred(ntuple_val(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{0})) == ()
+@test @inferred(ntuple_val(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{2})) == (1, 4)
+@test @inferred(ntuple_val(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{3})) == (1, 4, 9)
+@test @inferred(ntuple_val(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{4})) == (1, 4, 9, 16)
+@test @inferred(ntuple_val(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{5})) == (1, 4, 9, 16, 25)
+@test @inferred(ntuple_val(Base.Abs2Fun(), Val{6})) == (1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36)
 
 # issue #12854
-@test_throws TypeError ntuple(identity, Val{1:2})
+@test_throws TypeError ntuple(identity, Val{1})
+@test_throws TypeError ntuple_val(identity, Val{1:2})