May I ask......WHY? The barrel works well at 16", and you really don't gain ANYTHING, as you are going to stretch it back out to 16" all over again with a pinned flash hider, or in your case, a muzzle brake.
First off, the muzzle brake on a 16" is very overrated. You are really close to the blast with this setup. My son has one, and he is happy to shoot every other rifle in the crate rather than deal with the excessive noise and blast. Further, the brake would need to be pinned permanently- so I am assuming you know of a supressor which will slip over a muzzle brake and function correctly? I have seen them slip over a small flash hider, but never on a real, honest to goodness working muzzle brake.
Stick to the 16" barrel, and you won't lose any of the benefits of the threaded front end and the ability to swap fixtures out front.
If you cut it, yes, you expose the barrel where the melonite is removed. It's not much, but it is exposed. It would not matter unless you habitually get the nose stuck in the mud.