diff --git a/rafthttp/peer.go b/rafthttp/peer.go
index a78503d9c..39c134851 100644
--- a/rafthttp/peer.go
+++ b/rafthttp/peer.go
@@ -31,6 +31,18 @@ const (
 	ConnWriteTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 
 	recvBufSize = 4096
+
+	streamApp   = "streamMsgApp"
+	streamMsg   = "streamMsg"
+	pipelineMsg = "pipeline"
+)
+
+var (
+	bufSizeMap = map[string]int{
+		streamApp:   streamBufSize,
+		streamMsg:   streamBufSize,
+		pipelineMsg: pipelineBufSize,
+	}
 )
 
 type Peer interface {
@@ -104,12 +116,12 @@ func startPeer(tr http.RoundTripper, u string, local, to, cid types.ID, r Raft,
 				if paused {
 					continue
 				}
-				writec, name, size := p.pick(m)
+				writec, name := p.pick(m)
 				select {
 				case writec <- m:
 				default:
 					log.Printf("peer: dropping %s to %s since %s with %d-size buffer is blocked",
-						m.Type, p.id, name, size)
+						m.Type, p.id, name, bufSizeMap[name])
 				}
 			case mm := <-p.recvc:
 				if mm.Type == raftpb.MsgApp {
@@ -194,22 +206,20 @@ func (p *peer) Stop() {
 	<-p.done
 }
 
-func (p *peer) pick(m raftpb.Message) (writec chan raftpb.Message, name string, size int) {
+// pick picks a chan for sending the given message. The picked chan and the picked chan
+// string name are returned.
+func (p *peer) pick(m raftpb.Message) (writec chan raftpb.Message, picked string) {
 	switch {
 	// Considering MsgSnap may have a big size, e.g., 1G, and will block
 	// stream for a long time, only use one of the N pipelines to send MsgSnap.
 	case isMsgSnap(m):
-		writec = p.pipeline.msgc
-		name, size = "pipeline", pipelineBufSize
+		return p.pipeline.msgc, pipelineMsg
 	case p.msgAppWriter.isWorking() && canUseMsgAppStream(m):
-		writec = p.msgAppWriter.msgc
-		name, size = "msgapp stream", streamBufSize
+		return p.msgAppWriter.msgc, streamApp
 	case p.writer.isWorking():
-		writec = p.writer.msgc
-		name, size = "general stream", streamBufSize
+		return p.writer.msgc, streamMsg
 	default:
-		writec = p.pipeline.msgc
-		name, size = "pipeline", pipelineBufSize
+		return p.pipeline.msgc, pipelineMsg
 	}
 	return
 }
diff --git a/rafthttp/peer_test.go b/rafthttp/peer_test.go
index 13ec2156a..b35d50c8e 100644
--- a/rafthttp/peer_test.go
+++ b/rafthttp/peer_test.go
@@ -30,47 +30,47 @@ func TestPeerPick(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			true, true,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgSnap},
-			"pipeline",
+			pipelineMsg,
 		},
 		{
 			true, true,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgApp, Term: 1, LogTerm: 1},
-			"msgapp stream",
+			streamApp,
 		},
 		{
 			true, true,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgProp},
-			"general stream",
+			streamMsg,
 		},
 		{
 			true, true,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgHeartbeat},
-			"general stream",
+			streamMsg,
 		},
 		{
 			false, true,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgApp, Term: 1, LogTerm: 1},
-			"general stream",
+			streamMsg,
 		},
 		{
 			false, false,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgApp, Term: 1, LogTerm: 1},
-			"pipeline",
+			pipelineMsg,
 		},
 		{
 			false, false,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgProp},
-			"pipeline",
+			pipelineMsg,
 		},
 		{
 			false, false,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgSnap},
-			"pipeline",
+			pipelineMsg,
 		},
 		{
 			false, false,
 			raftpb.Message{Type: raftpb.MsgHeartbeat},
-			"pipeline",
+			pipelineMsg,
 		},
 	}
 	for i, tt := range tests {
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ func TestPeerPick(t *testing.T) {
 			writer:       &streamWriter{working: tt.messageWorking},
 			pipeline:     &pipeline{},
 		}
-		_, picked, _ := peer.pick(tt.m)
+		_, picked := peer.pick(tt.m)
 		if picked != tt.wpicked {
 			t.Errorf("#%d: picked = %v, want %v", i, picked, tt.wpicked)
 		}