Recoil

Two of my rifles have muzzle brakes; both for cosmetic reasons.

The FAL has a short Belgian pattern brake because that's what a late-pattern Romat had.  Coincidentally, that's the brake that DSA put on the barrel at the factory.  In part that brake determined which FAL clone I was making.

Dottie has a Troy Medieval brake.  6.8 specific muzzle devices were thin on the ground when I made her and the Medieval is one of the even fewer that allows the use of a bayonet (another cosmetic item).

Neither brake is mounted because I was having trouble with the recoil.

From past experience with an FAL, my Entrèprise L1A1 clone, the brake is not really stopping recoil but managing muzzle climb.  The L1A1 flash hider and the it's-been-too-long-to-remember-the-brand brake felt the same on the shoulder, but I could get back on target a bit faster.

The short-Belgian brake is not timed or asymmetrical, so I suspect it's not helping with muzzle climb at all. Jasmine doesn't seem to have more "kick" than any other 7.62x51mm battle rifle I've ever fired.  She does seem smoother than an M1A, but that could have more to do with the renowned adjustable gas system than the muzzle device.  It could also be the design of the stock, the FAL has much better ergonomics.

Dottie kicks noticeably less than her 6.8 stablemate, Tabitha.  I attribute this to mass far more than the brake.  Dottie is 13 ounces heavier before you take into account the red-dot or the light.  The timed, asymmetrical Medieval brake definitely helps with muzzle climb, but fractions of a second faster shooting results, not huge gains.

Mass brings me to what brought brakes to mind.

I was reading on Arfcom where someone was asking about what the best brake for 5.56 was.  One respondent compared their SIG 556 SBR to a pencil barreled AR they used to own.  He noted that the SIG with a brake was much lighter in recoil than the AR.  Sir, I suspect that the two pound weight difference is why and not the brake.  The two guns compared have very different gas systems and stock design; both can change perceived recoil a great deal.

In short, don't lie to yourself about the effect of your muzzle device.

PS: Speaking of lies about muzzle devices.  Several places I have read about the flash hider for the M16A2 being developed as having a brake function.  BZZZZZZZT!  Wrong!  The reason that it has that filled in section on the bottom was to reduce the dust signature when firing from close to the ground and nothing to do with preventing muzzle climb.  If it does have a practical brake effect, it was serendipity and not intention that caused it.  Think about where most of the feature changes between the M16A1 and M16A2 originate; the USMC.  The Corps rifle philosophy is (was?) not about rapid fire and fast acquisition; it's about slow-fire at long range on known distance ranges.  If the Corps had not been lobbying the A2 would likely have been a more limited change.