diff --git a/src/buf/buf_impl.rs b/src/buf/buf_impl.rs
index c26681fb0..04c2f7c40 100644
--- a/src/buf/buf_impl.rs
+++ b/src/buf/buf_impl.rs
@@ -795,20 +795,28 @@ pub trait Buf {
         f64::from_bits(Self::get_u64_le(self))
     }
 
-    /// Consumes remaining bytes inside self and returns new instance of `Bytes`
+    /// Consumes `len` bytes inside self and returns new instance of `Bytes`
+    /// with this data.
+    ///
+    /// This function may be optimized by the underlying type to avoid actual
+    /// copies. For example, `Bytes` implementation will do a shallow copy
+    /// (ref-count increment).
     ///
     /// # Examples
     ///
     /// ```
     /// use bytes::Buf;
     ///
-    /// let bytes = (&b"hello world"[..]).to_bytes();
-    /// assert_eq!(&bytes[..], &b"hello world"[..]);
+    /// let bytes = (&b"hello world"[..]).copy_to_bytes(5);
+    /// assert_eq!(&bytes[..], &b"hello"[..]);
     /// ```
-    fn to_bytes(&mut self) -> crate::Bytes {
+    fn copy_to_bytes(&mut self, len: usize) -> crate::Bytes {
         use super::BufMut;
-        let mut ret = crate::BytesMut::with_capacity(self.remaining());
-        ret.put(self);
+
+        assert!(len <= self.remaining(), "`len` greater than remaining");
+
+        let mut ret = crate::BytesMut::with_capacity(len);
+        ret.put(self.take(len));
         ret.freeze()
     }
 
@@ -852,7 +860,7 @@ pub trait Buf {
     ///
     /// let mut chain = b"hello "[..].chain(&b"world"[..]);
     ///
-    /// let full = chain.to_bytes();
+    /// let full = chain.copy_to_bytes(11);
     /// assert_eq!(full.bytes(), b"hello world");
     /// ```
     fn chain<U: Buf>(self, next: U) -> Chain<Self, U>
@@ -993,8 +1001,8 @@ macro_rules! deref_forward_buf {
             (**self).get_int_le(nbytes)
         }
 
-        fn to_bytes(&mut self) -> crate::Bytes {
-            (**self).to_bytes()
+        fn copy_to_bytes(&mut self, len: usize) -> crate::Bytes {
+            (**self).copy_to_bytes(len)
         }
     };
 }
diff --git a/src/buf/chain.rs b/src/buf/chain.rs
index db6219281..c21fd35ae 100644
--- a/src/buf/chain.rs
+++ b/src/buf/chain.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ use std::io::IoSlice;
 /// let mut buf = (&b"hello "[..])
 ///     .chain(&b"world"[..]);
 ///
-/// let full: Bytes = buf.to_bytes();
+/// let full: Bytes = buf.copy_to_bytes(11);
 /// assert_eq!(full[..], b"hello world"[..]);
 /// ```
 ///
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ impl<T, U> Chain<T, U> {
     ///
     /// buf.first_mut().advance(1);
     ///
-    /// let full = buf.to_bytes();
+    /// let full = buf.copy_to_bytes(9);
     /// assert_eq!(full, b"elloworld"[..]);
     /// ```
     pub fn first_mut(&mut self) -> &mut T {
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ impl<T, U> Chain<T, U> {
     ///
     /// buf.last_mut().advance(1);
     ///
-    /// let full = buf.to_bytes();
+    /// let full = buf.copy_to_bytes(10);
     /// assert_eq!(full, b"hello orld"[..]);
     /// ```
     pub fn last_mut(&mut self) -> &mut U {
diff --git a/src/bytes.rs b/src/bytes.rs
index 66b941d99..867f86bb8 100644
--- a/src/bytes.rs
+++ b/src/bytes.rs
@@ -548,8 +548,14 @@ impl Buf for Bytes {
         }
     }
 
-    fn to_bytes(&mut self) -> crate::Bytes {
-        core::mem::replace(self, Bytes::new())
+    fn copy_to_bytes(&mut self, len: usize) -> crate::Bytes {
+        if len == self.remaining() {
+            core::mem::replace(self, Bytes::new())
+        } else {
+            let ret = self.slice(..len);
+            self.advance(len);
+            ret
+        }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/bytes_mut.rs b/src/bytes_mut.rs
index 38f1ed53d..c3abadf14 100644
--- a/src/bytes_mut.rs
+++ b/src/bytes_mut.rs
@@ -961,8 +961,8 @@ impl Buf for BytesMut {
         }
     }
 
-    fn to_bytes(&mut self) -> crate::Bytes {
-        self.split().freeze()
+    fn copy_to_bytes(&mut self, len: usize) -> crate::Bytes {
+        self.split_to(len).freeze()
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/test_buf.rs b/tests/test_buf.rs
index 17bdd54e8..bc1287323 100644
--- a/tests/test_buf.rs
+++ b/tests/test_buf.rs
@@ -101,3 +101,20 @@ fn test_deref_buf_forwards() {
     assert_eq!((Box::new(Special) as Box<dyn Buf>).get_u8(), b'x');
     assert_eq!(Box::new(Special).get_u8(), b'x');
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn copy_to_bytes_less() {
+    let mut buf = &b"hello world"[..];
+
+    let bytes = buf.copy_to_bytes(5);
+    assert_eq!(bytes, &b"hello"[..]);
+    assert_eq!(buf, &b" world"[..])
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[should_panic]
+fn copy_to_bytes_overflow() {
+    let mut buf = &b"hello world"[..];
+
+    let _bytes = buf.copy_to_bytes(12);
+}
diff --git a/tests/test_chain.rs b/tests/test_chain.rs
index 9be434f37..0f362846e 100644
--- a/tests/test_chain.rs
+++ b/tests/test_chain.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ fn collect_two_bufs() {
     let a = Bytes::from(&b"hello"[..]);
     let b = Bytes::from(&b"world"[..]);
 
-    let res = a.chain(b).to_bytes();
+    let res = a.chain(b).copy_to_bytes(10);
     assert_eq!(res, &b"helloworld"[..]);
 }