I have a relative who has lost two good black bears on less than 50 yard shots with his 7 Rem. mag. and 150 Ballistic tips. Neither bear was lost for good. They both just ended up staying on their feet long enough to end up on somebody elses wall. I just got a Ruger 7 mag myself and bought some 175 Federals. If I don't start loading for it before Fall I figure these will do the job well at close range or farther out.
The problem was not the 7 mag, but the poor bullet choice. A Ballistic Tip is a poor choice for close shots at high velocity. It is not a durable bullet. Your 175-grainers will work fine, but it still depends on which bullet is in the load.
For a do-it-all load in a 7 mag, it is hard to improve on a 160 or 175-grain Nolser Partition or Accubond. Deer and antelope aren't too big of a deal and many bullets will work, but for bears, elk etc., my money will always be with a premium bullet.
I have killed lots of deer both close and far with 139 Hornady Interlocks, but tough stuff is another game.
