Tony:
Sorry, but the direction of the gas existing a muzzle brake in-and-of-itself has nothing to do with reduced recoil. This is a very common myth amongst shooters, who (incorrectly) believe the gas must exit toward the shooter so as to "rocket" the barrel forward. Basic physics proves that this cannot occur in a passive system such as a muzzle brake.
Very High Power (VHP) Magazine, which is published by the Fifty Caliber Shooter's Association, ran a series of articles on how muzzle brakes work a couple of years ago. In the article the author explains in detail precisely how a muzzle brake actually works. I highly suggest getting a hold of this article. In a nut shell,
1. Gas has mass.
2. Moving gas has momentum (mv).
3. The muzzle brake contains surfaces that are not parallel with the barrel.
4. Some of the gas molecules hit these surfaces.
5. When the gas molecules hit the surfaces, some of their momentum is transferred to the muzzle brake, and thus the barrel. This imparts some forward momentum to the barrel.
And that’s how they work. But it’s not the end of the story. After a gas molecule hits a surface inside the muzzle brake, you want to expel it ASAP, else it will impede the flow of incoming gas molecules. So the muzzle brake must also be designed to expel gas molecules in an efficient manner (i.e. with minimal turbulence and back pressure). The actual direction these molecules are expelled is a function of the design, and (in-and-of-itself) has nothing to do with recoil reduction. Indeed, very effective muzzle brakes have been designed where the gas exits toward the shooter, and very effective muzzle brakes have been designed where the gas exits away from the shooter.