diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/GenomeAnalysisEngine.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/GenomeAnalysisEngine.java
index aea61ba0a..759c0932d 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/GenomeAnalysisEngine.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/GenomeAnalysisEngine.java
@@ -674,7 +674,8 @@ public class GenomeAnalysisEngine {
                         SHARD_SIZE,
                         intervals, maxIterations);
             } else
-                shardStrategy = ShardStrategyFactory.shatter(readsDataSource,ShardStrategyFactory.SHATTER_STRATEGY.LINEAR,
+                shardStrategy = ShardStrategyFactory.shatter(readsDataSource,
+                        argCollection.experimentalSharding ? ShardStrategyFactory.SHATTER_STRATEGY.LOCUS_EXPERIMENTAL : ShardStrategyFactory.SHATTER_STRATEGY.LINEAR,
                         drivingDataSource.getSequenceDictionary(),
                         SHARD_SIZE, maxIterations);
         } else if (walker instanceof ReadWalker ||
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/IndexDelimitedLocusShardStrategy.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/IndexDelimitedLocusShardStrategy.java
index 05ad02214..0e38f7782 100755
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/IndexDelimitedLocusShardStrategy.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/IndexDelimitedLocusShardStrategy.java
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package org.broadinstitute.sting.gatk.datasources.shards;
 
 import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.GenomeLocSortedSet;
 import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.StingException;
+import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.GenomeLoc;
+import org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.GenomeLocParser;
 import org.broadinstitute.sting.gatk.datasources.simpleDataSources.SAMDataSource;
 import org.broadinstitute.sting.gatk.datasources.simpleDataSources.BlockDrivenSAMDataSource;
 
@@ -9,6 +11,8 @@ import java.util.*;
 
 import net.sf.samtools.Chunk;
 import net.sf.samtools.SAMFileReader2;
+import net.sf.samtools.SAMFileHeader;
+import net.sf.samtools.SAMSequenceRecord;
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2009 The Broad Institute
@@ -62,8 +66,21 @@ public class IndexDelimitedLocusShardStrategy implements ShardStrategy {
         if(!(dataSource instanceof BlockDrivenSAMDataSource))
             throw new StingException("Cannot power an IndexDelimitedLocusShardStrategy with this data source.");
 
+        List<GenomeLoc> intervals;
+        if(locations == null) {
+            // If no locations were passed in, shard the entire BAM file.
+            SAMFileHeader header = dataSource.getHeader();
+            intervals = new ArrayList<GenomeLoc>();
+
+            for(SAMSequenceRecord sequenceRecord: header.getSequenceDictionary().getSequences())
+                intervals.add(GenomeLocParser.createGenomeLoc(sequenceRecord.getSequenceName(),1,sequenceRecord.getSequenceLength()));    
+        }
+        else
+            intervals = locations.toList();
+
+
         this.dataSource = (BlockDrivenSAMDataSource)dataSource;
-        filePointers.addAll(IntervalSharder.shardIntervals(this.dataSource,locations.toList(),this.dataSource.getNumIndexLevels()-1));
+        filePointers.addAll(IntervalSharder.shardIntervals(this.dataSource,intervals,this.dataSource.getNumIndexLevels()-1));
         filePointerIterator = filePointers.iterator();
     }
 
diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/ShardStrategyFactory.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/ShardStrategyFactory.java
index a084d01c6..776f0c083 100644
--- a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/ShardStrategyFactory.java
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/gatk/datasources/shards/ShardStrategyFactory.java
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ public class ShardStrategyFactory {
             case INTERVAL:
                 throw new StingException("Requested trategy: " + strat + " doesn't work with the limiting count (-M) command line option");
             case LOCUS_EXPERIMENTAL:
-                throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Cannot do experimental locus sharding without intervals");
+                return new IndexDelimitedLocusShardStrategy(dataSource,null);
             case READS_EXPERIMENTAL:
                 return new BlockDelimitedReadShardStrategy(dataSource,null);
             default: