Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer program products for optimized copying of logical units (LUNs) in a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) environment using buffers that are smaller than delta map chunks. According to one method, a delta map is provided including delta indicators for tracking locations of changes to data stored in a plurality of source delta map chunks representing partitions of storage in physical disks of a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) array. A first buffer of a buffer size smaller than a delta map chunk size is provided. An amount of data is sequentially copied to fill the first buffer beginning at an address in the delta map chunk corresponding to a first change indicated by a delta indicator in the delta map.