I own and have shot a few AR15s. I have some Bushmasters currently. But at the range today, I shot a BM XM15 heavy barral shorty that had far far less recoil than any other AR I have known. I cannot perform follow-up shots well on my ARs even with an AK break, but on this particular AR today, I was letting them fly as fast as I could pull the trigger. It was so easy to shoot, I almost couldn't stop. I was treating it like my paintball gun! The only thing different on it than any other AR I have shot was a muzzle break with round holes on the side drilled at an angle, and 3 small holes on top drilled straight in. So, my question is - how can I reduce my recoil the most in my ARs? And what is the best break for recoil reduction?

Man, is this your lucky day,"wish it were mine",I have put the cheap brakes on my new pre-b Bushy XM 15 shorty "could'nt tell the diff"...and then put the Colt comp on. The Colt works. Period. If I (were) going to shoot rapid-fire, "without the range monsters jumping my a**",the Colt works great.

It attached with 4 allen screws onto the bare NAKED Bushy barrel....which after I tried it,I made sure that screws stayed where they were put.

There are a myriad of good comps out there...on this board there have been rave reviews for the Y-comps...look around. The Colt worked well for me.

Hope that helps,
NAKED

Recoil is basic physics.  The easiest way to reduce recoil, or minimize the effect, is to either add weight to the rifle, or use a muzzle break.  Whether or not you want to add weight to your rifle depends on how you use it.  If you shoot from the bench, additional weight is not a problem; you can add a buttstock weight or weights under the hanguards.  If you use your rifle for more tactical shooting, a muzzle break is preferable.  I believe the one you are describing is the Y-comp/Mini Y-comp from Bushmaster.  It is a very efficient break and does an excellent job of keeping the muzzle down and reducing felt/perceived recoil although it increases muzzle blast.  If your rifle is a Pre-ban, you might consider a silencer.  The silencer works the same way as a muzzle break(redirecting gas) to reduce recoil and elimates the muzzle blast.  Keep in mind that unless your using sub-sonic ammo that the .223 will not be quiet.  IMHO your best bet is to get some professional instruction.  You state that you have trouble controling the Bushmaster with an AK break.  The .223 has very little recoil in a semi-automatic rifle, and with a muzzle break(AK,Y-comp,Levang) has almost none.  This leads me to believe that the problem may have as much to do with technique as with recoil.  Please don't take this wrong, just trying to help.  

So the Mini Y comp is that much better than the AK brake.  OK I may have to take that into consideration when I finally buy/build my Bushy M4gery.  Like you said, I still had muzzle rise with the AK brake, and it's loud as heck.  The AK brake is definitely on "Things I should not let people talk me into when buying a gun" list.

When looking at brakes, don't forget Kurt's A2 brake.  I've got one on a 20" A2 barrel and it really cuts down on the recoil.  

Get a .22 LR conversion.