TRW ps pump question

Ok pump pulled and stripped down a little further. There is a "circlip" that clips into shaft and holds rotor in place tight on shaft. That is where the endplay was coming from. Removing that clip has tweaked it somewhat so a new one is needed. Can I replace with an external snap ring? I'm wondering if that would help with endplay vs using orig style clip?
Thoughts?
Thanks.
Steve