diff --git a/src/Expr.cc b/src/Expr.cc
index bad6240e7d..a7903ad6cc 100644
--- a/src/Expr.cc
+++ b/src/Expr.cc
@@ -2393,8 +2393,7 @@ IntrusivePtr<Val> AssignExpr::InitVal(const BroType* t, IntrusivePtr<Val> aggr)
 		if ( aggr->Type()->Tag() != TYPE_TABLE )
 			Internal("bad aggregate in AssignExpr::InitVal");
 
-		 // TODO: implement safer IntrusivePtr casts
-		IntrusivePtr<TableVal> tv{NewRef{}, aggr->AsTableVal()};
+		auto tv = cast_intrusive<TableVal>(std::move(aggr));
 		const TableType* tt = tv->Type()->AsTableType();
 		const BroType* yt = tv->Type()->YieldType();
 
diff --git a/src/IntrusivePtr.h b/src/IntrusivePtr.h
index b6c273a3ff..6f09bd86cd 100644
--- a/src/IntrusivePtr.h
+++ b/src/IntrusivePtr.h
@@ -184,6 +184,18 @@ IntrusivePtr<T> make_intrusive(Ts&&... args)
 	return {AdoptRef{}, new T(std::forward<Ts>(args)...)};
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Casts an @c IntrusivePtr object to another by way of static_cast on
+ * the underlying pointer.
+ * @param p  The pointer of type @c U to cast to another type, @c T.
+ * @return  The pointer, as cast to type @c T.
+ */
+template <class T, class U>
+IntrusivePtr<T> cast_intrusive(IntrusivePtr<U> p) noexcept
+	{
+	return {AdoptRef{}, static_cast<T*>(p.release())};
+	}
+
 // -- comparison to nullptr ----------------------------------------------------
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/Type.cc b/src/Type.cc
index fd05c82c3e..a0ed30aa0a 100644
--- a/src/Type.cc
+++ b/src/Type.cc
@@ -1892,12 +1892,12 @@ IntrusivePtr<BroType> merge_types(const BroType* t1, const BroType* t2)
 
 		const FuncType* ft1 = (const FuncType*) t1;
 		const FuncType* ft2 = (const FuncType*) t1;
-		auto args = merge_types(ft1->Args(), ft2->Args());
+		auto args = cast_intrusive<RecordType>(merge_types(ft1->Args(), ft2->Args()));
 		auto yield = t1->YieldType() ?
 			merge_types(t1->YieldType(), t2->YieldType()) : nullptr;
 
-		return make_intrusive<FuncType>(IntrusivePtr{AdoptRef{}, args.release()->AsRecordType()},
-		                                std::move(yield), ft1->Flavor());
+		return make_intrusive<FuncType>(std::move(args), std::move(yield),
+		                                ft1->Flavor());
 		}
 
 	case TYPE_RECORD:
@@ -2125,7 +2125,8 @@ IntrusivePtr<BroType> init_type(Expr* init)
 		t = std::move(tl);
 		}
 
-	return make_intrusive<SetType>(IntrusivePtr{AdoptRef{}, t.release()->AsTypeList()}, nullptr);
+	return make_intrusive<SetType>(cast_intrusive<TypeList>(std::move(t)),
+	                               nullptr);
 	}
 
 bool is_atomic_type(const BroType* t)