diff --git a/src/coreclr/gc/gchandletable.cpp b/src/coreclr/gc/gchandletable.cpp
index d503aca269b6cd..e70b38ebb6c339 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/gc/gchandletable.cpp
+++ b/src/coreclr/gc/gchandletable.cpp
@@ -17,12 +17,17 @@ IGCHandleManager* CreateGCHandleManager()
 
 void GCHandleStore::Uproot()
 {
-    Ref_RemoveHandleTableBucket(&_underlyingBucket);
+    // Dead path. The vtable slot is preserved for GC_INTERFACE_MAJOR_VERSION 5
+    // ABI compatibility with external standalone GC implementations.
+    assert(!"Uproot is not in use");
 }
 
 bool GCHandleStore::ContainsHandle(OBJECTHANDLE handle)
 {
-    return _underlyingBucket.Contains(handle);
+    // Dead path. The vtable slot is preserved for GC_INTERFACE_MAJOR_VERSION 5
+    // ABI compatibility with external standalone GC implementations.
+    assert(!"ContainsHandle is not in use");
+    return false;
 }
 
 // this is the number of handles we allocate in a handle table before we switch to the next table.
@@ -129,25 +134,10 @@ IGCHandleStore* GCHandleManager::GetGlobalHandleStore()
 
 IGCHandleStore* GCHandleManager::CreateHandleStore()
 {
-#ifndef FEATURE_NATIVEAOT
-    GCHandleStore* store = new (nothrow) GCHandleStore();
-    if (store == nullptr)
-    {
-        return nullptr;
-    }
-
-    bool success = ::Ref_InitializeHandleTableBucket(&store->_underlyingBucket);
-    if (!success)
-    {
-        delete store;
-        return nullptr;
-    }
-
-    return store;
-#else
-    assert(!"CreateHandleStore is not implemented when FEATURE_NATIVEAOT is defined!");
+    // Dead path. The vtable slot is preserved for GC_INTERFACE_MAJOR_VERSION 5
+    // ABI compatibility with external standalone GC implementations.
+    assert(!"CreateHandleStore is not in use");
     return nullptr;
-#endif
 }
 
 void GCHandleManager::DestroyHandleStore(IGCHandleStore* store)
@@ -221,4 +211,3 @@ void GCHandleManager::TraceRefCountedHandles(HANDLESCANPROC callback, uintptr_t
 {
     ::Ref_TraceRefCountHandles(callback, param1, param2);
 }
-
diff --git a/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.cpp b/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.cpp
index af7805107e5909..62803851d1d198 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.cpp
+++ b/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.cpp
@@ -744,95 +744,6 @@ void Ref_Shutdown()
     }
 }
 
-bool Ref_InitializeHandleTableBucket(HandleTableBucket* bucket)
-{
-    CONTRACTL
-    {
-        NOTHROW;
-        WRAPPER(GC_TRIGGERS);
-        INJECT_FAULT(return false);
-    }
-    CONTRACTL_END;
-
-    HandleTableBucket *result = bucket;
-    HandleTableMap *walk = &g_HandleTableMap;
-
-    HandleTableMap *last = NULL;
-    uint32_t offset = 0;
-
-    result->pTable = NULL;
-
-    // create handle table set for the bucket
-    int n_slots = getNumberOfSlots();
-
-    HandleTableBucketHolder bucketHolder(result, n_slots);
-
-    result->pTable = new (nothrow) HHANDLETABLE[n_slots];
-    if (!result->pTable)
-    {
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    ZeroMemory(result->pTable, n_slots * sizeof(HHANDLETABLE));
-
-    for (int uCPUindex=0; uCPUindex < n_slots; uCPUindex++) {
-        result->pTable[uCPUindex] = HndCreateHandleTable(s_rgTypeFlags, ARRAY_SIZE(s_rgTypeFlags));
-        if (!result->pTable[uCPUindex])
-            return false;
-    }
-
-    for (;;) {
-        // Do we have free slot
-        while (walk) {
-            for (uint32_t i = 0; i < INITIAL_HANDLE_TABLE_ARRAY_SIZE; i ++) {
-                if (walk->pBuckets[i] == 0) {
-                    for (int uCPUindex=0; uCPUindex < n_slots; uCPUindex++)
-                        HndSetHandleTableIndex(result->pTable[uCPUindex], i+offset);
-
-                    result->HandleTableIndex = i+offset;
-                    if (Interlocked::CompareExchangePointer(&walk->pBuckets[i], result, NULL) == 0) {
-                        // Get a free slot.
-                        bucketHolder.SuppressRelease();
-                        return true;
-                    }
-                }
-            }
-            last = walk;
-            offset = walk->dwMaxIndex;
-            walk = walk->pNext;
-        }
-
-        // No free slot.
-        // Let's create a new node
-        HandleTableMap *newMap = new (nothrow) HandleTableMap;
-        if (!newMap)
-        {
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        newMap->pBuckets = new (nothrow) HandleTableBucket * [ INITIAL_HANDLE_TABLE_ARRAY_SIZE ];
-        if (!newMap->pBuckets)
-        {
-            delete newMap;
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        newMap->dwMaxIndex = last->dwMaxIndex + INITIAL_HANDLE_TABLE_ARRAY_SIZE;
-        newMap->pNext = NULL;
-        ZeroMemory(newMap->pBuckets,
-                INITIAL_HANDLE_TABLE_ARRAY_SIZE * sizeof (HandleTableBucket *));
-
-        if (Interlocked::CompareExchangePointer(&last->pNext, newMap, NULL) != NULL)
-        {
-            // This thread loses.
-            delete [] newMap->pBuckets;
-            delete newMap;
-        }
-        walk = last->pNext;
-        offset = last->dwMaxIndex;
-    }
-}
-
 void Ref_RemoveHandleTableBucket(HandleTableBucket *pBucket)
 {
     LIMITED_METHOD_CONTRACT;
diff --git a/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.h b/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.h
index 27875c4cf5720b..414b24ebd3272d 100644
--- a/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.h
+++ b/src/coreclr/gc/objecthandle.h
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@ int getNumberOfSlots();
  */
 bool Ref_Initialize();
 void Ref_Shutdown();
-bool Ref_InitializeHandleTableBucket(HandleTableBucket* bucket);
 void Ref_RemoveHandleTableBucket(HandleTableBucket *pBucket);
 void Ref_DestroyHandleTableBucket(HandleTableBucket *pBucket);