diff --git a/mercurial/setdiscovery.py b/mercurial/setdiscovery.py
--- a/mercurial/setdiscovery.py
+++ b/mercurial/setdiscovery.py
@@ -256,7 +256,8 @@ def findcommonheads(ui, local, remote,
                     initialsamplesize=100,
                     fullsamplesize=200,
                     abortwhenunrelated=True,
-                    ancestorsof=None):
+                    ancestorsof=None,
+                    samplegrowth=1.05):
     '''Return a tuple (common, anyincoming, remoteheads) used to identify
     missing nodes from or in remote.
     '''
@@ -389,6 +390,8 @@ def findcommonheads(ui, local, remote,
                 ui.debug("taking initial sample\n")
             samplefunc = disco.takefullsample
             targetsize = fullsamplesize
+            if not remote.limitedarguments:
+                fullsamplesize = int(fullsamplesize * samplegrowth)
         else:
             # use even cheaper initial sample
             ui.debug("taking quick initial sample\n")
diff --git a/tests/test-setdiscovery.t b/tests/test-setdiscovery.t
--- a/tests/test-setdiscovery.t
+++ b/tests/test-setdiscovery.t
@@ -980,10 +980,10 @@ One with >200 heads. We now switch to se
   query 3; still undecided: 980, sample size is: 200
   sampling from both directions
   searching: 4 queries
-  query 4; still undecided: \d+, sample size is: 200 (re)
+  query 4; still undecided: 435, sample size is: 210
   sampling from both directions
   searching: 5 queries
-  query 5; still undecided: 195, sample size is: 195
+  query 5; still undecided: 185, sample size is: 185
   5 total queries in *.????s (glob)
   elapsed time:  * seconds (glob)
   heads summary: