diff --git a/pkg/ingester/transfer_test.go b/pkg/ingester/transfer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b0ea3f0d8ba2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/ingester/transfer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+package ingester
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"sort"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/health/grpc_health_v1"
+
+	"github.com/cortexproject/cortex/pkg/ring"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"github.com/weaveworks/common/user"
+
+	"github.com/grafana/loki/pkg/ingester/client"
+	"github.com/grafana/loki/pkg/logproto"
+	"golang.org/x/net/context"
+)
+
+func TestTransferOut(t *testing.T) {
+	f := newTestIngesterFactory(t)
+
+	ing := f.getIngester(time.Duration(0))
+
+	// Push some data into our original ingester
+	ctx := user.InjectOrgID(context.Background(), "test")
+	_, err := ing.Push(ctx, &logproto.PushRequest{
+		Streams: []*logproto.Stream{
+			{
+				Entries: []logproto.Entry{
+					{Line: "line 0", Timestamp: time.Unix(0, 0)},
+					{Line: "line 1", Timestamp: time.Unix(1, 0)},
+				},
+				Labels: `{foo="bar",bar="baz1"}`,
+			},
+			{
+				Entries: []logproto.Entry{
+					{Line: "line 2", Timestamp: time.Unix(2, 0)},
+					{Line: "line 3", Timestamp: time.Unix(3, 0)},
+				},
+				Labels: `{foo="bar",bar="baz2"}`,
+			},
+		},
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Len(t, ing.instances, 1)
+	if assert.Contains(t, ing.instances, "test") {
+		assert.Len(t, ing.instances["test"].streams, 2)
+	}
+
+	// Create a new ingester and trasfer data to it
+	ing2 := f.getIngester(time.Second * 60)
+	ing.Shutdown()
+
+	assert.Len(t, ing2.instances, 1)
+	if assert.Contains(t, ing2.instances, "test") {
+		assert.Len(t, ing2.instances["test"].streams, 2)
+
+		lines := []string{}
+
+		// Get all the lines back and make sure the blocks transferred successfully
+		for _, stream := range ing2.instances["test"].streams {
+			it, err := stream.Iterator(
+				time.Unix(0, 0),
+				time.Unix(10, 0),
+				logproto.FORWARD,
+				func([]byte) bool { return true },
+			)
+			if !assert.NoError(t, err) {
+				continue
+			}
+
+			for it.Next() {
+				entry := it.Entry()
+				lines = append(lines, entry.Line)
+			}
+		}
+
+		sort.Strings(lines)
+
+		assert.Equal(
+			t,
+			[]string{"line 0", "line 1", "line 2", "line 3"},
+			lines,
+		)
+	}
+}
+
+type testIngesterFactory struct {
+	t         *testing.T
+	store     ring.KVClient
+	n         int
+	ingesters map[string]*Ingester
+}
+
+func newTestIngesterFactory(t *testing.T) *testIngesterFactory {
+	return &testIngesterFactory{
+		t:         t,
+		store:     ring.NewInMemoryKVClient(ring.ProtoCodec{Factory: ring.ProtoDescFactory}),
+		ingesters: make(map[string]*Ingester),
+	}
+}
+
+func (f *testIngesterFactory) getIngester(joinAfter time.Duration) *Ingester {
+	f.n++
+
+	cfg := defaultIngesterTestConfig()
+	cfg.MaxTransferRetries = 1
+	cfg.LifecyclerConfig.ClaimOnRollout = true
+	cfg.LifecyclerConfig.ID = fmt.Sprintf("localhost-%d", f.n)
+	cfg.LifecyclerConfig.RingConfig.KVStore.Mock = f.store
+	cfg.LifecyclerConfig.JoinAfter = joinAfter
+	cfg.LifecyclerConfig.Addr = cfg.LifecyclerConfig.ID
+
+	cfg.ingesterClientFactory = func(cfg client.Config, addr string) (grpc_health_v1.HealthClient, error) {
+		ingester, ok := f.ingesters[addr]
+		if !ok {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("no ingester %s", addr)
+		}
+
+		return struct {
+			logproto.PusherClient
+			logproto.QuerierClient
+			logproto.IngesterClient
+			grpc_health_v1.HealthClient
+			io.Closer
+		}{
+			PusherClient:   nil,
+			QuerierClient:  nil,
+			IngesterClient: &testIngesterClient{t: f.t, i: ingester},
+			Closer:         ioutil.NopCloser(nil),
+		}, nil
+	}
+
+	_, ing := newTestStore(f.t, cfg)
+	f.ingesters[fmt.Sprintf("%s:0", cfg.LifecyclerConfig.ID)] = ing
+
+	// NB there's some kind of race condition with the in-memory KV client when
+	// we don't give the ingester a little bit of time to initialize. a 100ms
+	// wait time seems effective.
+	time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 100)
+	return ing
+}
+
+type testIngesterClient struct {
+	t *testing.T
+	i *Ingester
+}
+
+func (c *testIngesterClient) TransferChunks(context.Context, ...grpc.CallOption) (logproto.Ingester_TransferChunksClient, error) {
+	chunkCh := make(chan *logproto.TimeSeriesChunk)
+	respCh := make(chan *logproto.TransferChunksResponse)
+
+	client := &testTransferChunksClient{ch: chunkCh, resp: respCh}
+	go func() {
+		server := &testTransferChunksServer{ch: chunkCh, resp: respCh}
+		err := c.i.TransferChunks(server)
+		require.NoError(c.t, err)
+	}()
+
+	return client, nil
+}
+
+type testTransferChunksClient struct {
+	ch   chan *logproto.TimeSeriesChunk
+	resp chan *logproto.TransferChunksResponse
+
+	grpc.ClientStream
+}
+
+func (c *testTransferChunksClient) Send(chunk *logproto.TimeSeriesChunk) error {
+	c.ch <- chunk
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c *testTransferChunksClient) CloseAndRecv() (*logproto.TransferChunksResponse, error) {
+	close(c.ch)
+	resp := <-c.resp
+	close(c.resp)
+	return resp, nil
+}
+
+type testTransferChunksServer struct {
+	ch   chan *logproto.TimeSeriesChunk
+	resp chan *logproto.TransferChunksResponse
+
+	grpc.ServerStream
+}
+
+func (s *testTransferChunksServer) Context() context.Context {
+	return context.Background()
+}
+
+func (s *testTransferChunksServer) SendAndClose(resp *logproto.TransferChunksResponse) error {
+	s.resp <- resp
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (s *testTransferChunksServer) Recv() (*logproto.TimeSeriesChunk, error) {
+	chunk, ok := <-s.ch
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, io.EOF
+	}
+	return chunk, nil
+}