diff --git a/src/Val.cc b/src/Val.cc
index 7bccc6e0b0..8d93426721 100644
--- a/src/Val.cc
+++ b/src/Val.cc
@@ -1563,12 +1563,10 @@ void TableVal::Init(TableTypePtr t, bool ordered) {
     def_val = nullptr;
 
     if ( table_type->IsSubNetIndex() )
-        subnets = new detail::PrefixTable;
-    else
-        subnets = nullptr;
+        subnets = std::make_unique<detail::PrefixTable>();
 
     if ( table_type->IsPatternIndex() )
-        pattern_matcher = new detail::TablePatternMatcher(this, table_type->Yield());
+        pattern_matcher = std::make_unique<detail::TablePatternMatcher>(this, table_type->Yield());
 
     table_hash = new detail::CompositeHash(table_type->GetIndices());
     if ( ordered )
@@ -1585,8 +1583,6 @@ TableVal::~TableVal() {
 
     delete table_hash;
     delete table_val;
-    delete subnets;
-    delete pattern_matcher;
     delete expire_iterator;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/Val.h b/src/Val.h
index 987b2081eb..96bc5a037a 100644
--- a/src/Val.h
+++ b/src/Val.h
@@ -939,7 +939,8 @@ public:
     // Returns the Prefix table used inside the table (if present).
     // This allows us to do more direct queries to this specialized
     // type that the general Table API does not allow.
-    const detail::PrefixTable* Subnets() const { return subnets; }
+    const detail::PrefixTable* Subnets() const { return subnets.get(); }
+
 
     void Describe(ODesc* d) const override;
 
@@ -1048,8 +1049,8 @@ protected:
     detail::ExprPtr expire_func;
     TableValTimer* timer;
     RobustDictIterator<TableEntryVal>* expire_iterator;
-    detail::PrefixTable* subnets;
-    detail::TablePatternMatcher* pattern_matcher = nullptr;
+    std::unique_ptr<detail::PrefixTable> subnets;
+    std::unique_ptr<detail::TablePatternMatcher> pattern_matcher;
     ValPtr def_val;
     detail::ExprPtr change_func;
     std::string broker_store;