Canet developed a 12.6 in (32 cm) 38 cal naval gun, an extremely powerful weapon for its time, specifically for the export market. The gun was first selected by the Spanish Navy in 1884 as part of a large naval expansion program which called for six new battleships. The Spanish armaments firm Hontoria obtained a manufacturing license to produce the weapon, but due to budgetary reasons, only one vessel, the Pelayo, was completed.
The guns supplied to Japan equipped the cruisers Matsushima, Itsukushima, and Hashidate. Each gun weighed 67 tons, and had a barrel 12 metres (39 ft) long, firing a 112 cm (44 in) long projectile with weight of 350 kg (770 lb) (or 449 kg (990 lb) high explosive) for an effective range of 8,000 metres (26,000 ft).[3]
The guns proved only marginally successful during the First Sino-Japanese War, due to a slow rate of fire, and numerous mechanical problems. The guns could not be aimed abeam, as their weight would cause the ship to roll over when fired. In combat, gunners were able to fire only around one shot per hour[4] due to the time it took to reload.
Other guns
One surviving Canet M1890 (100 mm) gun used by the Brazilian Army to control the Canudos uprising in 1897Schneider-Canet L40 M/1902 12 cm turret gun at Høytorp fort, NorwayA Canet spherical breech on a 155 mm gun.
Canet is also known for developing the Schneider-Canet gun system for 75 mm iron BL mountain guns, and rapid-fire 120 mm and 152 mm guns.