When to lube the bore?

Artiz is right. A soaked carrier is only slinging lube back into the RE and making a senseless mess.

There’s very little bearing surface on the outside of the carrier. Run the bolt really wet and it’ll spritz lube around enough for long shooting sessions.

Porosity. Wear. A flaw. Not likely but possible. I’ve had a couple of nice firearms damaged by rust and it has made me cautious.