maybe anytime we see the symlink header we can follow it regardless of status code?

simpler.patch

diff --git a/swift/common/middleware/symlink.py b/swift/common/middleware/symlink.py
index ddcc274..65fe22d 100644
--- a/swift/common/middleware/symlink.py
+++ b/swift/common/middleware/symlink.py
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ from swift.common.request_helpers import get_sys_meta_prefix, \
     check_path_header
 from swift.common.swob import Request, HTTPBadRequest, HTTPTemporaryRedirect, \
     HTTPException, HTTPConflict, HTTPPreconditionFailed
-from swift.common.http import is_success, HTTP_REQUESTED_RANGE_NOT_SATISFIABLE
+from swift.common.http import is_success
 from swift.common.exceptions import LinkIterError
 
 DEFAULT_SYMLOOP_MAX = 2
@@ -295,16 +295,11 @@ class SymlinkObjectContext(WSGIContext):
     def _recursive_get_head(self, req):
         resp = self._app_call(req.environ)
 
-        def build_traversal_req():
+        def build_traversal_req(symlink_target):
             """
             :returns: new request for target path if it's symlink otherwise
                       None
             """
-            symlink_target = self._response_header_value(
-                TGT_OBJ_SYSMETA_SYMLINK_HDR)
-            if not symlink_target:
-                return None
-
             version, _junk = split_path(req.path, 1, 2, True)
             target_path = os.path.join(
                 '/', version, symlink_target.lstrip('/'))
@@ -315,10 +310,12 @@ class SymlinkObjectContext(WSGIContext):
             new_req.headers.pop('X-Backend-Storage-Policy-Index', None)
             return new_req
 
-        if is_success(self._get_status_int()):
+        symlink_target = self._response_header_value(
+            TGT_OBJ_SYSMETA_SYMLINK_HDR)
+        if symlink_target:
             # success case
             # format: /<account name>/<container name>/<object name>
-            new_req = build_traversal_req()
+            new_req = build_traversal_req(symlink_target)
             if not new_req:
                 # This is the target object which has content.
                 if self._last_target_path:
@@ -339,15 +336,6 @@ class SymlinkObjectContext(WSGIContext):
             return self._recursive_get_head(new_req)
         else:
             # error case
-            # The only case HTTP_REQUEST_NOT_SATISFIABLE from EC policy
-            # symlink can continue to traverse to the next target_path
-            if self._get_status_int() == \
-                    HTTP_REQUESTED_RANGE_NOT_SATISFIABLE:
-                new_req = build_traversal_req()
-                if new_req:
-                    self._loop_count += 1
-                    return self._recursive_get_head(new_req)
-
             if self._last_target_path:
                 # Content-Location will be applied only when one or more
                 # symlink recursion occurred.