Three drops at a time and then (bare) hand rubbed as far as you can go before applying more, hardly 'soaks' wood...
Straight BLO dries (sort of), and the next coat builds up as opposed to 'soaking' deeper...
I’ve been doing oil finishes for over 30 years.
BLO
If oil is applied and not allowed time to cure, the stock will keep soaking up oil if you keep applying it. It will not soak up as fast as it does with the first coat or two.
Also BLO is a finish that is rubbed into wood and not built up on the surface. If it’s allowed to dry on the surface it will gum up.
Not all wood is the same. Hardwood stocks tend not to soak up oils very good. Cutting your BLO will help it get into the stock. Wood like Walnut soaks up oil very good.
Your stock will tell you how much oil it needs. You first rub in a wet coat. And then let it sit for about 30 minutes. If your stock has soaked up all the oil and looks dry, then your stock is thirsty and needs oil. If there’s oil still on the surface after 30 minutes, your stock doesn’t need much oil.
For the thirsty stock, just rub in another wet coat and wait 30 minutes. Wipe it dry and let it sit for 24 hrs.
If there’s standing oil on the surface after 30 minutes, wipe it dry and wait 24 hours.
At this point both stocks should be about equal in the amount of oil the will soak up. Apply another wet coat, wait 30 min. and wipe dry.
What you describe, a few drops of oil at a time, is called a polish coat. These thin coats don’t soak in much and are rubbed until your hand is hot. But then the same as the other coats, it need to sit for 30 minutes and then wiped dry. You may only need one more polish coat but you still need to wait another 24 hrs.
Now BLO does need time to cure. Allow the stock to sit another 48 to 72 hours then run the surface of the stock with a dry paper towel to see if any oil comes off. If oil comes off, you need to wait longer. If the stock is dry, it’s time to apply a wax top coat to protect the oil finish.