Actual recoil is simply an example of Newton's 3rd law.
Recoil is calculated
E = 1/2 (W / 32) (L x V + 4700 x P / 7000 x W)squared.
E = recoil Energy in ft. lbs.
W = Weight of the firearm in pounds,
L = Weight of the load in grains (this includes the wad, filler, etc),
V = Muzzle Velocity of bullet in feet-per-second,
P = Weight of powder in grains
So you can increase W, decrease V or L and reduce recoil. Nothing else impacts the formula.
A barrel is an efficient engine that is highly directional. What happens with a muzzle break or porting is that you create an engine that has lost some of the directional thrust. You can not reduce the base recoil with a break or porting. You can only alter the directional thrust. True there is a slight loss of velocity, but we are talking about maybe 50 fps.
