Even better.... a first year production model 64 with tapered barrel. After the first year, they all became bull barrels.

 

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The 6" 686 can feel like a bit of a club to a person with smaller hands and limited strength but it does shoot really well due to it's weight , great trigger and good sights . I took a set of Houges and ground off most of the finger groves and slimmed them down . these have worked well in some pistol classes for folks with small hands

First thing I would try is finding a smaller set of grips . Most or all of the 686s are round butt and will take some fairly compact grips that will work better for smaller hands . As usual , with anyone but a experienced revolver shooter start out with 38 target loads and work up.
If  this doesn't work out then consider a 4" 686 or one of the K frames . Realise that anything lighter is going to start kicking a bit .

The Rugers are built like tanks and have the weight to control recoil but there isn't much available in aftermarket grips and while the triggers are not horrible they just are not as good as the S&W guns and can be difficult for someone with smaller weaker hands .

I think the average guy with average guy size and strength doesn't appreciate how much trouble the average women has getting a gun to fit her hands .
Small "girl guns" are not the answer as they are difficult to shoot well due to tiny grips , tiny sights and short sight radius