How are correctly seated CV axles supposed to look?

I just tried my luck at replacing both CV axles and am nervous about how it looks. Passenger side (pic w orange mark) sits further in and with the tiny play the silver flange comes flush w metal housing. Driver side (pic w green mark) sits flush with metal housing but the little play lets its pull out creating a gap. Seems like dirt could get in there. Also it has a little oil leak now. To be fair maybe it did before and I didn’t realize it but oil got all over housing when I pulled it so hard to tell what was there before hand. I also had to hammer the heck out of them to get them seated and even that seemed excessive. Could I have damaged a seal or something? Is it not in all the way? Appreciate your thoughts.

 

Looks pretty normal to me.
If the C-clip is in all the way, it's fine.

 

the axle is new therefore it is fine

the seal can be ripped during install if not careful. You'll know. It will leak constantly and not stop until fixed.

Some movement is normal.

The gear oil that comes out from this job lingers there and is hard to clean. If it's not cleaned, any remaining left over will continue to drip giving the illusion of a leak. Unless it is cleaned.

Leak detection powder is essentially rebranded talcum foot powder spray like GoldBond from walmart. Couple bucks. If in doubt you can clean it and buy that to spray on. It will discolor when leaked on.
If the powder stays white and solid, no leak.

You can also check the fill plug hole.

There's a c-clip that holds it in when installed. It basically just pops in and you're done. Assuming the seal isn't ripped. Can help to try getting it in as straight as you can, maybe some lubricant. Centering the C-clip. It can be tricky depending on how you're doing the job as it's a tight space, regarding parts in the way, if any are removed or held out of the way, etc. and if/where you're applying force.

Like if the axle is angled and hammered on the outside to get it in, it's probably gonna knick the seal.

 

Thank you guys for your input. I’ll keep an eye on it to see if it is a constant leak or just left over oil dripping out from the swap. I guess the rubber seal inside would stop any dirt that gets past the silver ring that sticks out on the drivers side. I appreciate your time.

 

How much play is there supposed to be? I can wiggle it around a bit, and it definitely has more play on drivers side than on the passenger side.

 

Looks good from here.

 

More than the average guy would expect. They are not tight fitting interfaces and you can move them around a bit radially and a lot axially