Originally Posted by
Tussock
Ultimately the only way a brake can reduce recoil is by venting the gas towards the shooter. Un-braked, or suppressed, the gasses vent directly away from the shooter, and they push the rifle back onto you like a rocket. Even if gases are vented out sideways, not backwards, its still more towards the shooter than un-braked.
A brake is a simple thing. There are many angles you could tweak to improve the way it handles the recoil, and to improve how nice the rifle is to shoot, but all of them involve venting gasses back towards the shooter.
There is no way you can spin it where a brake will be nicer, in terms of noise and percussion than a suppressor.
Its a matter of personal preference. A whack in the shoulder, or better yet, a shove, has never been an issue for me as far a shooting goes. It does not cause me to flinch. Noise/percussion on the other hand is a major issue. I have caught myself flinching with a 17HMR when shooting it beside a wall, where I was copping a bit of a racket.