diff --git a/swift/common/ring/ring.py b/swift/common/ring/ring.py
index 68635acd67..48be83c627 100644
--- a/swift/common/ring/ring.py
+++ b/swift/common/ring/ring.py
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 import array
+import contextlib
+
 import six.moves.cPickle as pickle
 import json
 from collections import defaultdict
@@ -173,22 +175,21 @@ class RingData(object):
         :param bool metadata_only: If True, only load `devs` and `part_shift`.
         :returns: A RingData instance containing the loaded data.
         """
-        gz_file = RingReader(filename)
-
-        # See if the file is in the new format
-        magic = gz_file.read(4)
-        if magic == b'R1NG':
-            format_version, = struct.unpack('!H', gz_file.read(2))
-            if format_version == 1:
-                ring_data = cls.deserialize_v1(
-                    gz_file, metadata_only=metadata_only)
+        with contextlib.closing(RingReader(filename)) as gz_file:
+            # See if the file is in the new format
+            magic = gz_file.read(4)
+            if magic == b'R1NG':
+                format_version, = struct.unpack('!H', gz_file.read(2))
+                if format_version == 1:
+                    ring_data = cls.deserialize_v1(
+                        gz_file, metadata_only=metadata_only)
+                else:
+                    raise Exception('Unknown ring format version %d' %
+                                    format_version)
             else:
-                raise Exception('Unknown ring format version %d' %
-                                format_version)
-        else:
-            # Assume old-style pickled ring
-            gz_file.seek(0)
-            ring_data = pickle.load(gz_file)
+                # Assume old-style pickled ring
+                gz_file.seek(0)
+                ring_data = pickle.load(gz_file)
 
         if not hasattr(ring_data, 'devs'):
             ring_data = RingData(ring_data['replica2part2dev_id'],
diff --git a/test/unit/common/ring/test_ring.py b/test/unit/common/ring/test_ring.py
index feffc4a6bb..4cd4f5f847 100644
--- a/test/unit/common/ring/test_ring.py
+++ b/test/unit/common/ring/test_ring.py
@@ -113,6 +113,27 @@ class TestRingData(unittest.TestCase):
         rd2 = ring.RingData.load(ring_fname)
         self.assert_ring_data_equal(rd, rd2)
 
+    def test_load_closes_file(self):
+        ring_fname = os.path.join(self.testdir, 'foo.ring.gz')
+        rd = ring.RingData(
+            [array.array('H', [0, 1, 0, 1]), array.array('H', [0, 1, 0, 1])],
+            [{'id': 0, 'zone': 0}, {'id': 1, 'zone': 1}], 30)
+        rd.save(ring_fname)
+
+        class MockReader(ring.ring.RingReader):
+            calls = []
+
+            def close(self):
+                self.calls.append(('close', self.fp))
+                return super(MockReader, self).close()
+
+        with mock.patch('swift.common.ring.ring.RingReader',
+                        MockReader) as mock_reader:
+            ring.RingData.load(ring_fname)
+
+        self.assertEqual([('close', mock.ANY)], mock_reader.calls)
+        self.assertTrue(mock_reader.calls[0][1].closed)
+
     def test_byteswapped_serialization(self):
         # Manually byte swap a ring and write it out, claiming it was written
         # on a different endian machine. Then read it back in and see if it's